Western Health and Reliable Ambulance recently partnered to convert an ambulance to accommodate non ambulatory bariatric patients.
Western Health and Reliable Ambulance recently partnered to convert an ambulance to accommodate non ambulatory bariatric patients. Modifications to the ambulance were necessary in order to protect bariatric patients and paramedics from injury and to provide a safe mode of medical transport.
“We recognized over the past few years that the number of obese patients we were responding to was increasing and we needed to come up with a way to more adequately transport them,” said David Buckle, Regional Director of Paramedicine and Medical Transport with Western Health. “With this designated unit, it takes 10 minutes to convert it so that we can respond to the client in a safe and timely manner.”
The bariatric care unit is one of the ambulances that is used within the fleet, but can be outfitted with a special stretcher, winch system, ramps, and reinforced straps and floor when responding to a bariatric patient.
Paramedics conduct a risk assessment to determine how best to respond when treating bariatric patients. In certain circumstances the assessment may indicate the patient should be treated in their home, rather than be transported to hospital. “Our first priority is to treat a client at home, and transport if necessary,” Buckle said. “We are working with Emergency Medical Services in Ottawa and Toronto, who have similar units, to create a deployment criteria, which will help ambulance personnel make proper assessments.”
In some cases, decisions are made when to deploy the unit based on information collected when an emergency call is received. Other times, paramedics conduct a risk assessment at the scene to determine how best to treat and transport bariatric patients.
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For more information,
Please contact:
Heidi Staeben-Simmons
Director of Communications,
Western Health 709-637-5252
