| PHYSICIAN-ON-SCENE There are situations when a physician, meaning well, will attempt to provide assistance at the prehospital scene. This assistance may or may not be of value. There are instances where the physician arriving at the scene may be an emergency physician, or another primary care physician adequately trained in emergency care. However, other physicians may not be trained in emergency care and thus may not be qualified to handle such an emergency. All cases of physician-on-scene will be addressed as follows: 1. EMS personnel should document the arrival of another physician on-the-scene and notify the on-line Medical Control physician. 2. The physician-on-scene is required to provide proper identification. 3. At that time, E.M.S. personnel should inform the on-line Medical Control physician of the situation and that the physician-on-scene requests to provide medical direction and care. 4. If the on-line Medical Control physician feels the physician-on-scene may adequately care for the patient, then transfer of responsibility should be documented on tape and in writing. 5. The physician-on-scene should be informed that once responsibility of patient care has been accepted, that physician should accompany the patient to the hospital destination, unless released by Medical Control. 6. If the on-line Medical Control physician does not wish to transfer responsibility for patient care to the physician-on-scene, or if the physician- on-scene does not agree to EMS guidelines established in such a situation, or it becomes apparent the physician-on-scene should not be allowed to provide medical care for the patient, the EMS personnel should appropriately thank the physician for the offer of assistance but advise him/her that EMS personnel can only legally follow Medical Control direction. 7. If the physician-on-scene refuses to leave after appropriate direction from the EMS personnel, law enforcement personnel should be notified for assistance. 8. The physician-on-scene should not be allowed to assume control of patient care against the wishes of EMS personnel and/or the on-line Medical Control physician.. If Medical Control does not grant transfer of patient responsibility to the physician-on-scene, EMS personnel will not accept any patient care orders from the physician-on-scene. 9. It should be noted that liability responsibility for the patient at the scene rests with the on-line base station physician Decisions releasing medical care responsibility to other physicians should have careful consideration. 10. If a physician presents with a helicopter service, see Helicopter Physician-on-Scene policy. Back to Medical Control Authority Home Page
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