Question for outpatient endoscopy or ambulatory surgery setting. Our center is discussing having a nurse accompany a patient to a nearby ER instead of calling 911/EMS. The walk involves either going through a tunnel (~14min) and elevators or taking an above-ground route that crosses two busy intersections. (5-7min) We would not have oxygen, a transport monitor, medications, or a stretcher with us. We also would not be handing the patient directly off to an ER nurse. At an informal meeting when we asked for clear guidelines on what’s considered stable, the physician said medicine can’t always be reduced to clear-cut parameters for deciding which patients need emergency care, so there aren’t written guidelines for this process. Also there’s no policy in place for this process. I feel like this is a super unsafe situation especially for the patient and myself. If the nurse has no equipment or treatment options during the walk, and there is no direct handoff to an ER nurse at the destination, how is this different from telling the patient or family to go to the ER themselves? How do your facilities handle emergency transfers from outpatient settings? Do you have a written protocol that explains who makes the decision, when EMS is called, what transport method is used, and what the accompanying staff member is expected and equipped to do? I’ve always worked in outpatient settings where 911 was called. fYI this is in GA   submitted by   /u/Background-Yak-6796 [link]   [comments]