Oooh, "protocol." No news to some of us, but worth mentioning to others learning.
Protocols govern regulated providers in regulated environments, not lay rescuers. See also: standing orders. Pre-hospital treatment protocols can vary widely between med directors, services, and within systems. Everybody has a standard of care though. Due to quirks of statute, in some places a lay provider may have a greater scope of practice than a trained provider. And even if within a scope of practice, a protocol may prohibit certain actions by regulated providers as they can be more restrictive but not more permissive. Thinking back over the years, there have been some fun quirks with glucose meters, epi pens, combi-tubes and kings, tourniquets, hemo gauze and wound packing, and more lately narcan/naloxone administration. At the time of quirk, lay rescuers could do all of those things.
Local protocols are still a useful reference point for lay providers those teaching same. Much like your local LE choices in gear/ammo, it can be useful to be able to point to your local professional rescuers and note that you're doing what they're doing.
Words are fun sometimes.
Originally Posted by ST911
Oooh, "protocol." No news to some of us, but worth mentioning to others learning.
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