Flight Physicans

[bell412]

I wish physicians would staff helicopter services more. i know that ER medicine are medical directors for all the services but I wish they would be part of staff configuration. They would bring their expertise as well as more money paid to the non-physicians if they were part of the configuration. I think that most European services have physicans on all their teams. I know they exist is the US but I think maily ER residents. I don't think there is financial insentive after residency? I think that University of Wisconsin is staffs RN/MD. Foughtfyr do you know the programs that have ER physicians staff the helicopter?

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[southerndoc]

Most are resident staffed, which I'm not entirely convinced is the best for patient care. Some second-year residents are better than others, and many second-year residents have no training in pre-hospital medicine.

Programs that I know that utilize residents include Mayo, Univ of Cincinnati, Univ of Mass, and Univ of Pittsburgh. I'm sure there are others.

Case Western also allows residents to moonlight as flight physicians, but I think their program is mainly attending or fellow level flight physicians. To my knowledge, they are the only "physician-based" helicopter service that has attendings fly. I could be wrong on this.

London Helicopter EMS (HEMS) flies a paramedic/physician (usually anesthesiologist) configuration. I think most other European services are similar (paramedics, not nurses). Keep in mind that a lot of ground ambulances there are staffed by physicians, and in France they are staffed by physicians and nurses, not paramedics. One could argue that this is a better configuration for critical patients, but Princess Diana would argue otherwise.

 

[swaamedic]

Consider it small fish, but I know several reasons many physicians do not fly on aircraft:
1. Malpractice often times will not cover some physicians or will increase by a significant figure to cover them and it becomes cost prohibitive which is why residents do so much of it...

2. Physicians life insurance goes through the roof once the underwriting company finds out you are flying which might not be a big deal if you are single but if you have a family, it's time to think twice...

3. There isn't much that a physician can do in a helicopter that a well trained flight team can't do...yes he/ she brings experience but as far as procedures they tend to be limited to what the flight team already can do.

4. Physicians tend to slow down scene time (it's ok to delay it for airway/breathing but otherwise everything else can be done in the air)...I can't remember the study but it was published about 4 years ago or there abouts....

 

[ISU_Steve]

Pure and simple: no peer reviewed study has shown an increase in survival rates when physicians are placed aboard aeromedical transport services.

Oh, and there have been ambiguous (statistically insignificant) or negative outcome changes for air transport when compared with ground transport from scenes of trauma. Basically you'd be risking your neck just for the "thrill" of flying- trust me it's fun (I spent 2 yrs doing it) but it's not worth your life if you're not helping people have a better chance at living.