One of the key roles and responsibilities of the paramedic is it to manage and control pain; paramedics have a duty of care to ensure that pain is managed effectively. Failure to ensure a duty of care can have serious consequences.
Dimond's updated second edition has been extensively revised and restructured. There is evidence of a multi-professional approach and application across all areas of health and social care.
A clear and succinct overview of the legal system, the Human Rights Act, criminal law and negligence open the text setting the scene and providing valuable information. European law and the law as applied to England and Wales is used. The introduction of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 has changed the way practitioners must act when the difficult issues of decision making concerning those who are incapable of making their own decisions arise, and they do.
This is an area that often gives practitioners much concern and can cause unease, yet Dimond addresses these concerns in a clear way. The chapter on living wills/advanced decisions explains the law and discusses situations where there may be a refusal of life-saving treatment—an issue that is relevant to practice.
This text is one in a series written by Bridgit Dimond, Barrister at Law and published by Quay Books. Dimond has an outstanding ability of being able to take complex legal (and in this text bio medical ethics) issues and represent them in such a manner for a variety of audiences to read, understand and apply to practice. The text provides the basic facts of the legal system and more.
Appreciating, understanding and applying the law can seem to some practitioners a daunting task, and is approached with trepidation. In this text, there is no assumption that the reader will have any previous legal knowledge. It is written and presented in a jargon-free way offering clarity of the law and the legal system to busy practicing health and social care professionals.
There are 22 chapters in this small and concise text. As with the other texts in the series, each chapter begins with a scenario that is related to the issues being discussed. The scenarios provide context and they are explored further as the chapter progresses, helping the reader to think of clinical situations and applies the content to the chapter.
Every chapter should be of interest to paramedics, students, managers and tutors. Recent high profile cases are considered and the legal implications described. The text is written in such a way that the bio medical ethical issues that are often intertwined with the law are also included in discussion.
Complex ethical issues are explained using cases. The chapter ‘Letting die, killing and suicide’ lays out clearly the law associated with these emotive issues, defining and explaining the differences between manslaughter and murder. This is done in a sensitive yet thorough way. There are three chapters related to consent for adults, children and those who are mentally incapacitated; the content of these chapters will be helpful in situations paramedics find themselves in where consent maybe an issue.
Referral to the professional regulators, scope of professional practice, confidentiality, and record keeping remind and reinforce the professional element of paramedic work in respect to the management of pain.
There are various indices and appendices that are helpful and well ordered. The glossary of terms is concise and useful, helping the paramedic with those terms that are often believed to be complex and impenetrable.
There is a comprehensive website resource list presented at the end of the text. To reinforce learning, each chapter ends with a set of questions and exercises.
I would highly recommend this text to paramedics, managers and tutors who are very often involved in the management of pain. Ignorance of the law is no defence.
By reading the text and having an understanding of the law and ethics as applied to the management of pain will enhance confidence, allowing the paramedic to practice with confidence and to challenge practice that they may be concerned about.