JEMS : a journal of emergency medical services
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As of Jan. 6, HEPA respirators have everything to do with you. They affect how you perform your job or run your EMS service. And they definitely affect your service's bottom line. Whether you're a street provider, the president of an ambulance company or a fire chief, you need to know about TB exposure and HEPA respirator regulations.
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In recent years, several hundred health care workers nationwide have contracted tuberculosis after being infected on the job; at least 16 of those workers have developed multidrug-resistant strains of the disease, and at least five of them have died. TB is alive and well--and EMS providers need to know what it is and how to protect themselves from it.
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If you've been working in EMS for much more than a week, the title of this column probably evoked some sort of visceral response from you--and not a positive one. The phrase "Mother, may I...?" has long been attached to EMS systems that require EMTs and paramedics to call their base hospitals prior to performing most interventions or delivering medications. Where the rub comes in is that most field people I know would prefer a little more leeway, something like a "Mother, I'm going out now" type of system.