LO>LO> CYA is the name of the game in the medical field.
LO>LO>If EMT's are allowed to initiate IV access, why not begin an IV
LO>LO>Lactated Ringer's ?
LO>->
LO>GS>Lou, what a sad commentary, all the more so because it is becoming
LO>GS>more and more true everyday. I always thought that the name of the
LO>GS>game was doing the right thing for the patient. CYA is a matter of
LO>GS>doing the right thing for yourself at the best, and doing the
LO>GS>right  thing for risk management at worst. The result is much
LO>GS> unneccesary "treatment" of patients.
LO>Gary:
LO>    Hippocratic oaths are taken, traditionally, by physicians. Doing
LO>the right thing for the patient, Gary, doesn't mean much if you
LO>violated protocols or if you don't protect yourself in writing. In
LO>nursing school they teach "if it was written, it wasn't done" - THAT,
LO>Gary is CYA. --- Platinum Xpress/Wildcat! v1.2f
Actually, I think that the quote is, "If it wasn't written, it wasn't 
done", and it is not CYA, it is a matter of good practice. Part of 
treating the patient is documenting what you found, what you did, and 
the effect that it had on the patient. CYA, is putting a collar on a 
patient that was in an accident, has no complaint of injury, doesn't 
particularly want to go to the hospital, and has no sufficient mechanism 
of injury. As for protocols, if you deviate from them, you had better 
have a good reason, and it better be documented, but again, that is not 
CYA, it is good practice. 
Gary
þ CMPQwk 1.42 129 þThe scenery only changes for the lead dog.
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