You have been called to a local emergency department to transfer a 67-year-old male to another facility. At the hospital, the emergency physician informs you that the patient and his family have requested the transfer because his doctor is affiliated with the other hospital. At bedside, you see that the patient is receiving an antibiotic through an IV. Though your state does allow EMTs to perform non-emergent transports of patients receiving normal saline through an IV, it does not allow transport of patients receiving IV medications. When informed of this, the physician states that the antibiotic will be done in 10 minutes and that he will give written permission to start the transport while the medication is infusing. Which one of the following EMT actions would be most appropriate at this time?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The most appropriate action would be to wait until the medication infusion is complete before transferring the patient to the other facility, as it is not legal to transport a patient receiving IV medications in this state. The doctor's written permission would not constitute a legal exemption. Additionally, there is no indication of a HIPAA violation, so option D can be ruled out. Option B would not be appropriate, as stopping the infusion of a prescribed medication could potentially harm the patient.

You Have Been Called to a Local Emergency Department to Transfer