Good Samaritan?

I was walking home from Weight Watchers this morning (I'd attended the Tuesday morning rather than Wednesday evening meeting this week, which involves a 30 minute walk there and back, no bad thing for the ol' weight loss!) when I came across an old(ish - maybe 55-60-65?) lady and a member of the public. Nothing unusual in that except that the member of the public was on her phone, talking to the emergency services and the older lady was lying on the ground, legs partially entwined in her tipped over mobility scooter!

Leaping into nurse mode, I immediately looked around for the emergency call button or another member of staff... Damnit!

Our code of conduct as nurses suggests that we should attend any accident we spot when out and about in general. We are expected to provide instant support and 'first aid' as appropriate. This is all well and good but as nurses, we are often used to working in environments with other colleagues and equipment we may need to hand! I don't carry a first aid kit in my bag and we are not trained first aiders!

However, the basics did come flooding back to me... I immediately ensured someone was calling for support (which she already was) and half listened in on her giving details whilst I checked the safety of the environment and proceeded to assess the 'patient'.

She was moaning and groaning, showing that she was still breathing and she had a pulse that felt reasonable (I didn't time it but just checked it was there and stable!) I engaged her in conversation as much as possible to find out how responsive she was. (Her speech was notably slurred and her mouth looked like it had a slight droop on the right hand side, indicating that there may be a weakness generally - this tallied with her ability to squeeze with her left hand but not her right.)

I checked her head for signs of trauma, finding a bump but no obvious wounds and checked the rest of her as well as possible for obvious injury, despite the awkward but stable position she was in (avoid moving the casualty unless it is unsafe to leave them where they are!). She was in pain but not obviously cut or bleeding.

Her colour was pale but not cyanosed (and I later ascertained there was no inhaler in her bag to indicate asthma / COPD!). She was incoherent to start, unable to answers questions in recognisable words but gradually began giving slightly more appropriate responses.

We checked her bag for indications of identity, finding a card with her surname on which she confirmed as correct and I took my place, securing her head, talking to her and comforting until the ambulance arrived.

The ambulance crew were of course marvellous, taking control of the situation though they still asked for my help with a few things (holding the oxygen & moving the casualty - I was a member of the public to them of course!) and as she began to come round a little more, they found her phone, contacted her daughter (I noted that they wrote down that she had a brain tumor, causing a generalised right sided weakness - didn't I say so!) and ascertained her medication. As they were, of course, well in control I offered to return the woman's mobility scooter to her home as we had by then got her address and the local postman, having stopped to help also, was able to give me directions! Off they headed in the direction of the hospital as I worked my way back over the ground the woman had travelled that morning (I gave up trying to walk next to teh scooter, which is supprisingly difficult to control like that and rode it most of the way - accompanied by odd looks from local folk!)

Thank fully her neighbours and granddaughter were on hand for me to hand over the scooter and keys when I got there and let them know the scant details I had, reassuring them she was concious!

This may not be a breakthrough in medicine or even a heroic step forward by day to day standards but as this is the first accident I've come across, I'm pleased that I did everything I could appropriately. I have always felt uncomfortable with the rule that means we have to provide support (a bloody good reason not to travel to and from work in uniform, as if you're spotted not helping you can get in trouble!) but was pleased that my training and knowledge didn't abandon me totally. This was a simple accident but still enough to task my memory.

Oh, and I'd lost 1.5lb at Weight Watchers, hitting my 10% weight loss goal! What a good day (for me, not for her obviously!) Jxx