This month, I want to introduce not a blogger, but instead, a paramedic, filmmaker, and social media guru that is truly trying to change the way that EMS is seen around the world.
I was fortunate to become a colleague and friend of his when I worked with him on the Chronicles of EMS – Beyond the Lights and Sirens (2011), a reality show looking at the differences in EMS provision between the UK and the US. Since then, Ted Setla (Setla Film Production, 2011) has embarked on a mission to use social media as a tool for the improvement of EMS into a profession that we can all be proud of. I asked him to share with us the reasons why he feels so passionate about social media in EMS, and this is what he wrote:
‘It is 23 hours into a shift and you are dispatched to a call for an 80–year–old lady with altered consciousness. Upon arrival you find that the vitals are normal, but the presentation isn’t. You check the blood glucose, but unable to rule out specifics, the patient tells you she wants to stay home and states she has a DNR, but the family is not able to locate it. The call goes as normal and you are forced to take the patient to the hospital because the family states she is not acting right.
While there could be a million things wrong with a patient like this you still are curious to know just why you were called and what could possibly be the change in the patient that caused the call in the first place.
The shift has ended and you open your iPhone and get on your twitter application to find that a paramedic out of the Philippines has posted a blog article on altered levels of consciousness (ALOC) and common causes for this in the elderly. Curiosity gets the better of you and you begin reading into the mind
of that paramedic across the world. What is common in one country may not be taught in another and you find six different causes of ALOC that pertain to the elderly that reinforce additional questions to ask. All of a sudden you realize you have become a better provider for seeking out information that puzzled you in the first place.
As a paramedic, I realized early on that with collaboration between those wearing the boots on the ground level, there is a chance for this industry to better itself in many ways. It is not about a single solution or idea that makes change happen, it is the ability to internalize the cause and make it your own. Social media has allowed for paramedics and EMTs all over the world to come together with a concept that has helped build awareness, inspire others to find solutions and prepare the industry for a grass roots campaign to unite EMS under one cause world wide.
As a filmmaker, it is clear that my early impression of a fractured EMS system and the poor communication displayed throughout the industry, inspired me to look at solutions to fix the problem. Video content is a clear medium in which you have the chance to engage and drive emotion into an audience. It offers the chance to combine entertainment with and educational focus giving an audience the chance to walk away with more than Hollywood effects...EMS 2.0, the rebooting of EMS through entertainment, education, collaboration and technology.’
Ted continues his journey with a multitude of projects, blog posts, podcast and conference appearances. If you have embraced the world of twitter, he can be found @Setla and with the hashtag #CoEMS.
The Social Medic
From one guru of social media in EMS to another. The Social Medic, David Konig, has started a bit of a blogging masterclass on his own blog.
First off is a post that walks those new to reading blogs through some of the common terminology that you may find when visiting the EMS blogosphere. If you have never heard of a ‘ping’ or a ‘permalink’, then this is the post for you. ‘Blogging terms to know’ is an essential first look for any reader who has decided to explore this alternative means of sharing information and best practice (The Social Medic, 2011a).
He then follows up with ‘Choosing an identity’, that looks deeper into the decisions that need to be made if you are thinking of venturing into blogging yourself (The Social Medic, 2011b). Think you have a name in mind for your blog? Is it the right one? Go and have a read and think about the image that you want to portray to the internet and to represent your service and/or profession.
Rescuing Providence
Next up are two comical posts from Rescuing Providence’s Michael Morse.
First is the ‘Case of the Bloody Hands’ that shares a lighthearted look at an amusing re-telling of an incredulous story (Rescuing Providence, 2011a).
This is not the first time that Michael has travelled back in time to the age of Sherlock Homes, to deduce what has happened on the scene of one of his emergencies. We all know that many of the things that we see could so very easily make it into a crime drama show, but it adds that certain comic element to hear such phrases as ‘Bleeding! Stand aside! Mr Watson, gather the supplies, we have a life in jeopardy and a mystery to solve!’
Michael remains in the comedic writing frame of mind when he recounts a discussion heard in the back of one of his ambulances. The language is brash, the content is raw, but this is real life ambulance black humour and we have all said and heard similar. What is your least favourite ‘Bodily
Fluid’ to clean up at the end of a job? Go over to Michael’s blog and find out if they come to the same conclusion as you did (Rescuing Providence, 2011b).
Life Under the Lights
On to a more serious post, but still one that made me laugh out loud before getting to the serious conclusion. Chris Kaiser from Life Under the Lights has been away from the blog for a little while, but is back with a great post reminding us that we are all capable of ‘errors’ and what to do to minimize the risk of any of us missing an important part of a clinical picture. I for one, will stick my hand in the air and own up to doing the exact same thing as Chris did. I am sure there are many more of us too. ‘Assessing Greatness—Catching the Stuff you’re supposed to’ (Life Under the Lights, 2011), is a thought-provoking read for all of us, and a timely reminder of our own fallibility.
Moving to a more clinical focus, we have two bloggers discussing different aspects of myocardial infarction, symptoms and diagnosis. Just because we are in the ambulance services, does not mean that we need to stick to EMS blogs for our continued education. There are vast amounts of valuable information to be found from our associated health professions too.
Kevin MD
Kevin, MD is a prolific blogger and well– known American physician who provides commentary on most topics of healthcare. One blog post recently stood out for me. ‘Heart Attack Symptoms in Women, In their own words’ (Kevin MD, 2011) describes the experiences of 22 women, all of who suffered a myocardial Infarction. It is a stark reminder of the multitude of atypical presentations of cardiac chest pain, and how easy it would be to disregard some as minor and non-cardiac.
Dr Smiths ECG Blog
To continue the myocardial infarction theme, Dr Smith from Dr Smiths ECG Blog (2011), had a fantastic series of video presentations on the importance of performing serial 12–Lead ECGs when caring for the chest pain patient. As always, whenever I visit Dr Smith’s blog, I learn more and more, and appreciate the importance of being able to identify subtleties in the interpretation of some specific 12–Lead ECG tracings that will bring direct benefit to the patients that I care for. ‘Importance of Serial ECGS’ (Dr Smiths ECG Blog, 2011) is another posting that is essential for all ambulance personnel responsible for the interpretation of the 12–Lead ECG.
Street Watch: Notes of a Paramedic
As the ambulance services of the UK move towards clinical outcomes as indicators of quality, Peter Canning from Street Watch: Notes of a Paramedic (2011a), looks directly to the care of the out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients and the value in the treatment given to those who still ultimately die in the intensive care department following a return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). In ‘Death in the ICU’ (Street Watch: Notes of a Paramedic, 2011b), Peter explores the reasons why a ROSC out of hospital, then a death in the ICU some time later is still an outcome worth trying for.
Conclusion
That is it for this months blog watch. I would be interested to know your thoughts on EMS blogs— Do you read blogs? Have you found any that have not been listed here that you feel should be? Do you think there is a place for blogs in EMS or do you feel that they have no value? Email me with your thoughts, lets have the discussion.