Not Using Backboards anymore?

[BIGRED1 71]

Just wanted to pose a question to the EMS community.

 

Last night at a single car MVA,  had a single patient who was going to be transported. She was removed from the car to a backboard and placed on the ground and strapped in. when the ambulance arrived, she and the backboard were lifted and put on the stretcher. Then the Ambulance crew removed the backboard and transported her. there was no backboard on the stretcher and she was in a collar.

 

My question is, is this a new procedure? Was it done cause she was not thought of as a high risk? We asked the State trooper if he had seen this on the road and he said no. Just want to keep up to date with things and know how we should operate out there.

[PC_420 28]

Yes. This is the new NYS protocol from last Autumn. Backboards can be used to move a patient but not to transport them to the hospital. There was a protocol update last Autumn.  All EMT's had to do it.

[mikeinet 37]

Many regional protocols are moving away from requiring backboards except for extreme indicators... research found that the backboard didn't cause as much benefit as previously thought and more often than not, a patient is already moving around and had compromised C-Spine if there were an issue. With that being said, a lot of the protocols still require collars to be used, just not full immobilization.

Edited March 1, 2016 by mikeinet