After reading http://theparamedicsdiary.blogspot.com/2008/11/whisky-night.html and the bit about the diabetic, I felt I needed to comment.

We were called to a care home for an unconscious female. She was in bed, unresponsive, malnourished, dehydrated and no heavier than 5 stone in a wet raincoat.



'How long has she been like this then?' I said knowing full well that this wasn't something that had suddenly happened.



'Don't know, I've only just started my shift and I don't know much about this lady.' came the reply.



'Really' I thought to my self.

It amazing how many times we get the same old story, no-one knows anything about the patient, they've just come on shift or 'it isn't me that usually looks after her.'

'Medical history?'

No-one seems to know!

This lady is poorly sick and needs to be in hospital. She is severely dehydrated with barely palpable radial pulses. She is also hypoglycemic (although not diabetic). She needs some fluids and IV glucose. One attempt and that's it. This was before we had the
EZ-IO (http://www.vidacare.com/ez-io/index.html) We're in! A 22g bluey in her hand. 50ml of glucose and a bit of fluid en route. She starts to stir.

Overworked, understaffed, don't know this, don't know that. We've heard it all before. There is no excuse to allow patients to get like this.