Wound closure on scene: ethical analysis and reflection
Volume 1 · Issue 8
Abstract
This case study involves the critical analysis and reflection of the ethics involved when an emergency care practitioner closed a 16-year-old patient's self-inflicted wounds at scene, rather than transporting to A&E.
The article aims to show the challenges faced by ambulance personnel in the pre-hospital setting when faced with issues surrounding patient autonomy, consent and capacity and how these should be considered on a ‘case by case’ basis.