Forums » Off duty » News & media » Can you be a doctor without equipment? A doctor caught up in 7/7 bombings gives evidence.
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Can you be a doctor without equipment? A doctor caught up in 7/7 bombings gives evidence.
posted at 21/10/2010 12:19 PM BST
on bmj.com
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First: 17/11/2008 Last: 19/5/2013 |
There is a moving account of a doctor caught up in the London 7/7 bomb attacks. Dr Quaghebeur (a consultant neuroradiologist at John Radcliffe) didn't leave the tube train at Aldgate East but stayed to "look after" the injured and dying. She didn't have any equipment and says she wonders what good she did. She cradled Carrie Taylor, a women with severe injuries, for an hour (how long that must have felt) until she died. The news story says: "I am a doctor, but really I was no more professional - what can you do in a situation like that?" she said. "You can't do anything, you're completely on your own, you have no first aid to give, you have no airway to give. "You have absolutely nothing to give other than to maybe comfort the people that are alive." Miss Taylor's father John asked her why she stayed on the train. She replied: "It was to comfort her and it was to comfort some of the other people in the carriage and not leave them alone." Mr Taylor said simply: "Thank you very much for that." |
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Re: Can you be a doctor without equipment? A doctor caught up in 7/7 bombings gives evidence.
posted at 21/10/2010 2:05 PM BST
on bmj.com
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Posts: 51
First: 2/8/2010 Last: 8/7/2012 |
This is the difference between a Doctor and a Person-with-a-degree-in-medicine. Anyway, I think it would be a really good idea if doctors always (or at least almost always) carried first aid equipment with them. Not many things, but at least the most important first aid tools like gloves, some syringes and needles, pain-killers, some disposable scalpels, needles and threads for sutures, forceps, some antiseptic, sterile gauze and little else maybe, like a sthetoscope, altough it's a bit bigger. It all easily fits in a little pouch a woman can easily carry in her handbag or in a man's bag a lot of people use. Just think how many life-savings procedures a doctor can do with so few tools! What do you think? Is it so crazy? |
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Re: Can you be a doctor without equipment? A doctor caught up in 7/7 bombings gives evidence.
posted at 21/10/2010 2:27 PM BST
on bmj.com
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Posts: 492
First: 12/7/2010 Last: 7/5/2013 |
I agree with Caffey, and its absolutely not crazy. I personally have a stethoscope and sphygmomanometer with me when ever I go out for college. I have thought of carrying a first-aid toolkit, although could not settle on the contents. I think besides what Caffey listed, adrenaline, diazepam or any sedative, beta agonists, scissors, some local anesthetic, some sort of infusion or is it too much? May be we all can come up with a list of essential equipments. |
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Re: Can you be a doctor without equipment? A doctor caught up in 7/7 bombings gives evidence.
posted at 21/10/2010 6:19 PM BST
on bmj.com
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Posts: 157
First: 29/8/2010 Last: 8/3/2012 |
Fantasitic idea- how much more helpful would a doctor be if he carried his equipment round. Once or twice and it would become a good habit. If you carried medication like pain killers would it a) need refigerating and b)need replacing regularly???? |
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Re: Can you be a doctor without equipment? A doctor caught up in 7/7 bombings gives evidence.
posted at 21/10/2010 6:44 PM BST
on bmj.com
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Posts: 492
First: 12/7/2010 Last: 7/5/2013 |
Pain killers probably won't need refrigeration and they would need to be replaced, but they have pretty long shelf life. |
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Re: Can you be a doctor without equipment? A doctor caught up in 7/7 bombings gives evidence.
posted at 21/10/2010 6:59 PM BST
on bmj.com
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Posts: 51
First: 2/8/2010 Last: 8/7/2012 |
Yes, for AMI of course. Drugs obviously need to be replaced once in a while. But if you keep them at home they will expire anyway, won't they? |
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Re: Can you be a doctor without equipment? A doctor caught up in 7/7 bombings gives evidence.
posted at 24/10/2010 3:56 PM BST
on bmj.com
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Posts: 1
First: 24/10/2010 Last: 24/10/2010 |
In Response to Re: Can you be a doctor without equipment? A doctor caught up in 7/7 bombings gives evidence.: Yes, for AMI of course. Drugs obviously need to be replaced once in a while. But if you keep them at home they will expire anyway, won't they? Posted by Caffey A short time spent reading the work carried out by doctors in the far eastern prison-of-war-camps of WW2 would be a good grounding in what is possible in very difficult circumstances. LDPayne |
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Re: Can you be a doctor without equipment? A doctor caught up in 7/7 bombings gives evidence.
posted at 25/10/2010 7:32 AM BST
on bmj.com
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Posts: 22
First: 17/6/2010 Last: 25/10/2010 |
In Response to Re: Can you be a doctor without equipment? A doctor caught up in 7/7 bombings gives evidence.: Yes, for AMI of course. Drugs obviously need to be replaced once in a while. But if you keep them at home they will expire anyway, won't they? Posted by Caffey Giving thrombolysis in the street without a proper 12 lead ECG diagnosis and no other medical back up? I'm pretty sure you would receive some rather severe punishment for something as irresponsible as that. I don't carry any medical equipment with me besides my mobile phone to call the emergency services.
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Forums » Off duty » News & media » Can you be a doctor without equipment? A doctor caught up in 7/7 bombings gives evidence.
