Ummm, OB-GYN's go to through the same training as every other physician with additional training in their specialty and are quite competent to handle a medical emergency on any age or sex of patient. To imply that she couldn't handle an emergency related to a "male" is ridiculous.
I don't agree it's ridiculous at all. All recommendations I viewed on this subject say that, when volunteering in this type of situation, providers should stick with areas they are competent in. We all know that we are competent in different things. Sure, we all know basics. But if more is needed, then it could well be out of our area of expertise, and in that situation, we should defer to someone whose area of expertise it is,
if available. This isn't simply my opinion - it's part of the recommendations to providers in this situation to a) do what's best for the patient and b) protect themselves from liability.
Back to the Aviation Medical Assistance Act of 1998
(b) Liability of Individuals.--An individual shall not be liable for
damages in any action brought in a Federal or State court arising out
of the acts or omissions of the individual in providing or attempting
to provide assistance in the case of an in-flight medical emergency
unless the individual, while rendering such assistance, is guilty of
gross negligence or willful misconduct.
You know, it's funny. Out there for perusal are not only articles from physicians and aviation specialists, but from legal experts, and their take on it can be a little different than others'.
For example, this, from an attorney:
http://www.legalmatch.com/law-library/article/in-flight-medical-emergencies.html
"Who is Allowed to Use the Medical Equipment?
If a medical emergency does occur, it is important to know who can use the equipment on board the flight. While the FAA requires what medical equipment is required aboard each airplane, it does not specify who may use it. Flight attendants should grant access to the equipment only to trained crew members or to other persons qualified and trained in the use of medical equipment. In some cases you may hear announcement such as "If there are any doctors on board the airplane, please make themselves known to the cabin crew."
The decision to allow passengers to assist another passenger and to have access to medical equipment is up to the airline. However, it is highly recommended that flight attendants check the credentials of passengers holding themselves out to be medical experts before allowing them access to the equipment. Doctors who volunteer to help the crew manage a medical emergency should remember to practice within the limits of their training and knowledge. A doctor who volunteers to assist in such a situation and ultimately causes more harm to the injured passenger may be subject to medical malpractice and liable to the extent of the injuries caused."
Now FTR, I very likely would volunteer to help on an inflight emergency BUT, if, say, it was an OB/GYN emergency and that wasn't my specialty but was another volunteer's, than I would certainly defer to them, knowing that, not only do I not know much in that situation, but I could do more harm than good.
In one of the articles I posted earlier, a physician responding to an inflight emergency recognized her limitations, as she should.
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/04/medical-emergencies-at-40-000-feet/274623/
"The FAA requires flight crews be trained to coordinate the response to medical emergencies, to use first aid kits, to be familiar with the contents of the emergency medical kit, to use an automated external defibrillator, and to perform CPR. But flight crews also rely heavily on the assistance of health care providers aboard the aircraft. Studies by the airlines and ground-based medical support services have found that a health care provider is available and responds in upwards of 80 percent of in-flight medical events. The truth is, though, that many health care providers find themselves attending to issues they don't see in their medical practices, and most have no specialist knowledge about aviation medicine or the medical resources aboard the plane. If asked, many health care providers will volunteer to help, especially if no one else is available, and this can lead to problems.
While returning from an international malaria conference, Dr. Michelle Hsiang, a pediatric infectious diseases specialist at the University of California San Francisco, attended to an elderly man suffering from diarrhea and dehydration on a twelve-hour flight from Sri Lanka to London. She was uncomfortable caring for an adult patient with several long-standing medical problems. "I'm a pediatrician, so I'm not used to taking care of adults," she said. "I think it's funny that they call for any physician since many are not board-certified to provide the kind of care that is needed."
Health care providers may also not be prepared to respond to an emergency because they board the plane as passengers rather than doctors. Like others they may take sedatives to help them sleep or consume alcoholic beverages. Dr. Larry Chang, an infectious diseases specialist at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, explained how this has impacted him: "I never take sedatives on flights because I feel like on almost every other international flight they ask if there's a doctor on board.
Health care providers responding to in-flight medical events and emergencies are protected under the 1998 U. S. Aviation Medical Assistance Act, which states that persons providing assistance in the case of an in-flight medical emergency are not liable for their actions unless they are guilty of gross negligence or willful misconduct. But many health care providers worry about their responsibility, if not their liability, and some may be reticent to help in an unfamiliar environment, outside of their area of expertise. They are also subject to the same inconveniences as other passengers if the aircraft needs to be diverted.
In addition, when more than one health care provider responds to an in-flight event, there may be disagreement over how best to manage it. Dr. Julien Pham, a nephrologist at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, once found himself at odds with another volunteer who told the flight crew that the passenger seemed fine based on a cursory assessment. Meanwhile Dr. Pham remained concerned after having interviewed and examined the passenger, and he continued to check in on him periodically throughout the flight."
I think these isssues can be a lot more complicated than brief news stories make them out to be.
It is an interesting one, and let me tell you, it makes me want to go out right now and jump on a plane! (Not!)
