RFDS Emergency/Injury prevention
RFDS carries out over 36,000 aeromedical transports in any given year. The majority of the transports involve moving a patient from a regional hospital to a larger hospital where services are available. Approximately 4,000 transports are primary evacuations bringing someone who is seriously unwell or has been injured or poisoned to a hospital.
Looking at the statistics for one of our operating sections during the 08-09 financial year RFDS Queensland section conducted 10,534 transports. Of these total transports, 2199 cases or 21% had a provisional or additional diagnosis of injuries, poisoning and other consequences of external causes.
Again in the 08-09 financial year Queensland Section conducted 247 transports where the patient had an external cause code indicating that the patient was a Car/Bus/heavy vehicle occupant injured in a transport accident.
Therefore a significant number of patients transported by RFDS have been injured or poisoned.
RFDS manages a Medical Chest program across Australia enabling remote residents to have access to pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical items. These items can be authorised by an RFDS doctor for use by someone who is unwell or who has been injured or suffering the effects of being poisoned.
As well as responding to emergency situations as a result of injury RFDS, through its health promotion programs, aims to prevent injury where possible.
This is mainly done through RFDS health promotion programs, in particular RFDS Queensland Field Day program and RFDS Western Operations On the Road program.
In the rural and remote context there are often additional risks for injury compared to the metropolitan context. For example the farm context contains dangerous equipment. There is greater access to firearms. Similarly road traffic accidents can result in greater injury due to increased dangerous behaviours such as heavy drinking and non- use of seatbelts.
RFDS Emergency Services
When people think of the RFDS, whether in Australia or overseas, they imagine an RFDS aircraft, manned by emergency health personnel heading to a remote destination to retrieve a critically injured or unwell patient. This core ‘Traditional Service’ activity has been occurring 24/7 since the service was first established in 1928.
An emergency call is received and an assessment made as to whether the patient needs to be evacuated and flown to the nearest appropriate hospital.
Patients are treated at the scene of pick up and during the flight by trained medical and nursing staff.
Once at the destination patients are then transferred to hospital by ambulance.
RFDS can also be involved in flying patients back to their home and then following them up through regular RFDS clinic services.
Further information on RFDS Emergency Services program can be found at the following link:
http://www.flyingdoctor.org.au/Health-Services/Emergency-and-Transport-Services/
It is suggested that you look particularly at Emergency/retrieval services in Western Australia where there is comprehensive information on all aspects of this RFDS work.
RFDS Medical Chest Program
The RFDS Medical Chest has evolved over many years to cover a number of medical conditions, including emergencies, which it would be difficult for people living and working in remote areas to otherwise treat. Apart from pharmaceuticals, the Chest contains a variety of equipment including bandages and dressings of various types and sizes, hypodermic syringes and needles, a scalpel, dressing scissors, a kidney dish, urinary catheter, first aid manual and a DVD on how to give intramuscular injections.
There are a large number of “prescription only” pharmaceutical items that as a condition of the provision of the Chest can only be dispensed on the advice of a registered RFDS Medical Practitioner. The use of a simple numbering system ensures correct medications are dispensed independent of changes in brand and packaging over time.
The Medical Chest is a key RFDS tool in managing the wellbeing of an injured person living or travelling in remote Australia.
Further information on the RFDS Medical Chest program can be found at the following link:
http://www.flyingdoctor.org.au/Health-Services/Remote-Services/Medical-Chests/
RFDS Health Promotion Programs
RFDS Health Promotion programs address a number of areas related to emergency services and injury. These include training sessions for remote residents in how to prepare their location to receive RFDS emergency services. Information sessions cover maintaining the RFDS Medical Chest, keeping the runway in good condition and communicating effectively with the RFDS.
Here is some specific infromation produced by RFDS Queensland Section Field Days around First Aid skills for those living in remote areas.
Queensland Field Days (14.84kB)
Here are some specific information sheets produced by RFDS On the Road Program in Western Australia covering Managing a snake bite and avoiding dehydration.
Dehydration flyer (378.99kB)
Snake bite treatment (32.90kB)
See also http://www.flyingdoctor.org.au/IgnitionSuite/uploads/docs/Page%202.pdf for outback safety brochure.
RFDS health staff frequently attend accidents where the injured person was not using a seatbelt. RFDS strongly supports any campaigns aimed at ensuring seatbelt use in remote areas.
For more information on RFDS Health promotion programs visit:
Queensland Section
http://www.flyingdoctor.org.au/Health-Services/Clinic-Services/Health-Promotion/HP-QLD/
Western Operations
http://www.flyingdoctor.org.au/Health-Services/Clinic-Services/Health-Promotion/RFDS-On-the-Road/