Parkview EMS utilizes the STAR CARE Principles for every patient encounter as a guideline for those situations that there is no policy or manual for. The STAR CARE Guidelines were originally conceived over a decade ago by Thom Dick,paramedic and journalist. The following is a checklist we at Parkview Fire/EMS use to analyze almost any patient care issues we may encounter.
Safe: Were my actions safe for me,for my colleagues,for other professionals and for the public?
Team-based:Were my actions taken with due regard for the opinions and feelings of my co-workers,even those from other agencies?
Attentive to human needs: Did I treat my patient as a person? Did I keep him or her warm? Was I gentle? Did I use his or her name throughout the call? Did I tell him or her what to expect in advance? Did I treat his or her family and / or relatives with respect?
Respectful:Did I act toward my patient,my colleagues,my first responders,the hospital staff and the public with the kind of respect that I would have wanted to receive myself?
Customer accountable: If I were face-to-face right now with the customers I dealt with on this response,could I look them in the eye and say,“I did my very best for you.”
Appropriate:Was my care appropriate –medically,professionally,legally and practically,considering the circumstances I faced?
Reasonable: Did my actions make sense? Would a reasonable colleague of my experience have acted similarly under the same circumstances?
Ethical:Were my actions fair and honest in every way? Are my answers to these questions?