Does your EMS agency have protocols for deceased patients in public?
Communication is vital to maintaining privacy and EMS public relations when a patient is pronounced in a public setting
Recently, a county EMS agency was taken to task by local media when a crew left the body of a deceased individual outside in public view after an unsuccessful resuscitation. According to local news accounts, it took nearly three hours for a funeral home to retrieve the body. The patient’s wife was sitting with the body for much of that time.
Not having spoken to anyone directly involved with the incident, I find some of the reported aspects a bit vague. However, a couple of key points did come to mind as I read about the incident, mostly centered on communication and public relations.