‘It helps to alleviate some of the pressure placed on the Scottish Ambulance Service, as emergency ambulances are very frequently requested to convey GP referrals to hospital. It is a fantastic service which benefits myself and my colleagues and, most importantly, our patients.’
Keith McRavey has been a paramedic for over a year and works for the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS). He explained how he used to get specialist advice, before using Consultant Connect for Professional-to-Professional Clinical Advice:
‘Previously, I could get specialist advice from the SAS clinical support desk, and I also routinely attempted to contact patients’ GPs or the OOHGP (out-of-hours GP) service. This would involve having to wait for a GP to return my call, which could lead to long delays on scene for an emergency ambulance.’
‘Prof-to-Prof clinical decisions is a better tool as you are able to contact a consultant 24/7 and your call is answered immediately; there are no delays when needing to discuss a patient.’
He went on to explain how the service helps him in his day-to-day job:
‘As a paramedic, I am allowed to make autonomous clinical decisions and discharge patients; however, this hasn’t stopped me from using Consultant Connect, and I still find it a fantastic option for obtaining professional support, which ensures our patients get signposted to the most appropriate option for their conditions. The service ensures that I am not delayed at scene with a patient and that a patient does not attend hospital unnecessarily, relieving pressures on A&E.’
Initial patient presentation
‘I recently attended a female patient in her 40s, who had tested positive for COVID-19 a few days prior to her 999 call. The patient had been monitoring her oxygen saturations continuously, with a pulse oximeter and was concerned that they were low.
‘I used prof to prof clinical decisions via the Consultant Connect App to contact a local consultant to discuss the case. After a full assessment of the patient, all documented observations were within normal parameters, there were no acute changes to the 12 lead ECG, and she had normal air entry in all fields on auscultation; I had no concerns that the patient was significantly unwell.
‘Following SAS guidance on COVID-19, the patient did not fall into the at-risk of deterioration category, and there were no red flags identified. As the patient was only suffering from mild symptoms, she was deemed to be suitable to remain at home.’
How prof to prof clinical decisions helped the patient
‘Using prof to prof clinical decisions meant the patient felt reassured that a consultant had reviewed her case and she was happy with this outcome.’
He encourages other clinicians to use the service
‘It helps to alleviate some of the pressure placed on the Scottish Ambulance Service, as emergency ambulances are very frequently requested to convey GP referrals to hospital. It is a fantastic service which benefits myself and my colleagues and, most importantly, our patients.’
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