Editor's Note: Last month, Tamika Cross, MD, a 28-year-old ob/gyn resident in Houston, wrote on her Facebook page about her experience in trying to help a fellow passenger who fell ill during a flight she was on. As was reported in the New York Times, Dr Cross says a Delta Air Lines flight attendant rejected her offer of help, not believing that she was a physician. Later she was asked to provide her medical credentials.
This incident got us thinking: What sort of proof do you need to show when presenting yourself as a physician during an emergency? We asked the authors of a review article, "In-Flight Medical Emergencies During Commercial Travel," published last year in the New England Journal of Medicine,[1] to answer our most pressing questions about in-flight medical care.
Q: If you’re on a flight and identify yourself as a physician, can the airline require you to show your medical credentials?
A: The Aviation Medical Assistance Act of 1998 provides airlines with liability protection from acts of responding providers so long as the carrier "in good faith believes that the passenger is a medically qualified individual." The Act defines medically qualified personnel as "any person who is licensed, certified, or otherwise qualified to provide medical care in a State, including a physician, nurse, physician assistant, paramedic, and emergency medical technician."[2]
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) further provides some guidance to airlines on this very matter. In a 2006 regulatory letter to all airlines, the FAA noted:
"Flight attendants should grant access to the equipment only to trained crewmembers or to other persons qualified and trained in the use of emergency medical equipment. The decision to allow passengers to assist another passenger and have access to medical equipment is up to the air carrier and its agents...It would be preferable for flight attendants to check the credentials of passengers holding themselves out as medical specialists."[3]
Q: What are the most common airline emergencies?
A: In a large study involving nearly 12,000 reported inflight medical events, the most common issues, in descending order of frequency, are[4]:
Syncope
Respiratory symptoms
Nausea or vomiting
Cardiac symptoms
Seizures
Abdominal pain
Infectious disease
Psychiatric issues
Q: What supplies are airlines required to carry in their medical kits?
A: The FAA mandates that the following medical equipment be aboard all US-based airliners. While airlines can enhance supplies, these are the minimum requirements[5]:
Sphygmomanometer
Stethoscope
Gloves
Airway and breathing
Oropharyngeal airways
Bag-valve masks (three sizes)
CPR masks (three sizes)
Intravenous access
Intravenous administration set
Saline solution, 500 mL
Needles
Syringes
Analgesic tablets, nonnarcotic
Antihistamine tablets
Antihistamine, injectable
Aspirin
Atropine
Bronchodilator inhaler
Dextrose, 50%
Epinephrine, 1:1000 solution
Epinephrine, 1:10,000 solution
Intravenous lidocaine
Nitroglycerin tablets
Automated external defibrillator (AED)
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Any views expressed above are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of WebMD or Medscape.
Cite this: Jose V. Nable, Christina L. Tupe, William J. Brady, et. al. FAQ: What Should Happen During an Inflight Medical Emergency? - Medscape - Nov 10, 2016.
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