Mr Bruce Wicksteed1
1Medical Air – Air Ambulance, Jandakot Airport, Australia
Purpose: to provide insight in to the challenges of international retrieval – a multi-modality example.
Nature and scope of topic: …it started out as a reasonably straight-forward low acuity commercial stretcher retrieval from Goa (via Mumbai) India to Perth. The patient had to first be moved from Goa to Mumbai via AA as there there is no commercial stretcher options out of Goa. No problem, contract an Indian Air Ambulance company … what could go wrong!?
Issues under consideration:
Safety of patient and medical team
Logisitics
Geography
Human Factors – fatigue, psychological exposure
Outcome / Conclusion
Safety vs commercial pressures requires careful consideration
Biography:
Critical Care Registered Nurse and Paramedic, now firmly ensconced in aeromed