Contents
Paramedic is a high-risk profession – not only during an epidemic. Now that the fight against the coronavirus continues all over the world, conditions have become extremely difficult, and it is rescuers who are on the front line. How has the work of the ambulance crew changed? Warsaw rescuers tell stories – Przemek and Piotrek.
- Paramedics and ambulance drivers work long hours and are at great risk every day, also because patients withhold information that could protect the entire team from forced quarantine.
- There has been chaos in hospitals for several weeks, the guidelines appear on a regular basis and are constantly changing
- Special teams come to collect patients with suspected infection. They are protected by protective clothing, which is already missing in some facilities
Third day on call, nerves and adrenaline
– Today at 19 it will be 60 hours since I wasn’t home. There is a massacre: nerves, adrenaline. We have a lot of trips. Yesterday night I went to the infectious diseases ward 12 times – says Przemek.
– As a rule, lifeguards work a lot. They may be on 24-hour duty in one place and then 12-hour in another. They work 200-300 hours, and those who work in strictly away teams, even 500 or more, but these are extreme cases – adds Piotrek.
The situation with which we have been dealing in Poland for several weeks has changed our lives, but rescuers feel this change in a special way. People continue to suffer from the same diseases as before the epidemic: fractures, accidents and heart attacks occur. But with any rescue operation, somewhere in the back of the head, there’s always the thought that the victim the team goes to may be infected.
– Patients conceal that somewhere they were or had contact with an infected person, because they are ashamed of their neighbors, they do not want a band dressed as aliens to come for them. They only confess when they are in the ambulance. Then the entire team is turned off because it goes to quarantine – explains Piotrek.
– But there are those who pretend to have symptoms because they want to get tested. We take them to the hospital and at the outset we say that if they enter the tent, they can get infected, because infected people are also there. Then they leave the ambulance and give up examinations – admits Przemek.
– In the current situation All patients are sent to the tents for an initial assessment of vital signs and the exclusion of the risk of virus infection. A short survey is carried out and the temperature is measured. If the paramedics find that the patient does not have such a risk, he or she is sent to the emergency department as usual, as it poses no risk. However, if the probability of infection is high or the patient manifests similar symptoms (fever, cough, shortness of breath), he waits for the opinion of the doctor on duty and further decisions (isolation or transport to an infectious hospital).
The chaos is the worst: “The guidelines and procedures are changing every now and then”
A paramedic is prepared to work under tremendous pressure. In the ambulance you have to act quickly and decisively, you never know what will happen during the shift. Therefore, there is no question of panic, which does not mean that disorganization is avoided.
– Neither Poland, nor really no country was prepared for such a situation. The most difficult part of it all is the chaos that has prevailed, because no one really knows what it should look like. The guidelines and procedures change every now and then, and we have to adapt to it, be up to date all the time. Everyone calls somewhere: doctors to their managers, managers to hospital directors, directors even higher. Because what if we have a patient who came back from abroad, flew by plane, ended up in Warsaw, but not from Warsaw, but from Olsztyn? Who is to provide him with transport? – says Piotrek.
Also Read: What To Do When You Have Symptoms Of Coronavirus? Step-by-step rules of conduct [INFOGRAPHICS]
Who do lifeguards in overalls come to?
Personal protective equipment such as masks, coveralls and helmets, which many hospitals are already running out of, is only used by paramedics and ambulance drivers in certain situations.
– All those who work in hospitals converted into infectious diseases must wear protective clothing. Paramedics wear these outfits only when they go to patients who are suspected of being infected with the coronavirus – they report symptoms of upper respiratory tract infection and fever, have had contact with an infected person, have come back from abroad – explains Piotrek.
– Ordinary ambulances do not go to all such cases, usually the dispatcher, if there is no life threatening, sends a medical transport car or a delegated team that is assigned to a given sanitary and epidemiological station. Then one car is shut down, not all ambulances. The patient gets a mask and disposable gloves, and after transporting the vehicle, the vehicle is disinfected. If someone does not want to involve the team and feels good, they can come to the infectious diseases hospital by themselves – in a private car. If nothing is wrong, such a patient can go home after taking a smear and performing preliminary tests – adds the paramedic.
They are not afraid for themselves, but for their families
Keeping up with the safety rules is a priority. But even with all procedures being followed, risks cannot be avoided.
– The fear for the loved ones is all the time, because it is not known when it will catch you. Healthcare professionals are self-endangering, no one knows if he has already caught the virus from one of the patients, because, for example, this one lied. You think about sending your family back to your grandparents, but then you realize that if you are already infected, your household has also become infected – there is no point in spreading it further. These are the biggest dilemmas. Medics are not afraid for themselves because they have already seen a lot and have been in many dangerous situations. They are afraid for their loved ones – admits Piotrek.
– I love to help, I love adrenaline, but my family – you know: worries. We can’t help it. It will last – adds Przemek.
Read more:
- “I saw severed heads, I collected severed legs.” Paramedic about his job
- «I remember my first death. A young boy cut his own veins in the bathtub. What does a lifeguard work like?
What do rescuers need?
Both Piotrek and Przemek – when asked about what the rescuers miss the most today – respond unanimously that the most important thing is to cooperate with the team, appreciate and respect their work. Do not lie, stay at home, think in common sense.
– I miss the word “thank you” and the smile on my face. Every now and then we hear complaints that we are too late, we are nervous, tired and sleepy. People do not realize what wasted money we are working for – says Przemek.
Now that our health and safety are in the hands of medical personnel, the silent heroes of hospital wards and ambulances are finally beginning to be seen as true heroes. On the Internet, social campaigns, such as # WwałamyPłońki or #ółekDlaLekarza, are multiplying. There is even an application that coordinates grassroots aid for health care facilities and workers during a pandemic.
– We are now getting a lot of help from people who bring us food and drinks to the hospital or emergency stations. They deliver medical equipment, masks they sewed themselves. One of such actions was organized by the Donor Anonymous Foundation. It’s very upbuilding finally, we feel that we are appreciated, which is not common in everyday life – emphasizes Piotrek.
– If someone has completed a qualified first aid course or other powers, such as anonymous donor, they can volunteer, not to work with an infectious or potentially infectious patient, but to help with other team tasks – adds the rescuer.
The editorial board recommends:
- Coronavirus in Poland. What does the doctor feel when he goes to the hospital?
- How are COVID-19 patients treated in Poland? Recommendations of PTEiLChZ
- Infected, Hospitalized, Supervised, or Quarantined Person – What Does It Mean?
Have a question about the coronavirus? Send them to the following address: [email protected]. You will find a daily updated list of answers HERE: Coronavirus – frequently asked questions and answers.