Authors

Iván Mª Ortega Deballon

Position

Diplomado en Enfermería. Licenciado en Derecho. Experto en Derecho Sanitario. Enfermero del SUMMA-061. Profesor colaborador EUE Puerta de Hierro, Madrid.

Contact address

SUMMA-061. C/ Antracita 2 bis. 28045 Madrid.

Contact email: ivort@mixmail.com

Abstract

In these past few years, Outside Emergency Services have improved greatly in terms of quality due to the specialised training that the emergency professionals have received, and also due to the availability of improved means, the techno-scientific advances, and the social success brought about by an increased demand of healthcare services. However, the ethical and legal aspects that come into play in the outside emergency scenario have not been properly approached, despite the fact that these aspects cause a great deal of anxiety in the attending professionals, with an ability to greatly affect the healthcare provided.

On the basis of the references described and in compliance with the legislation currently in effect, a critical analysis has been carried out to share with those professionals that have to deal on a daily basis in compromising situations from the ethical and legal point of view.

In this sense, it is worth pointing out that it is only on very few occasions that a deep reflection is performed, from the deontologic setting, of the consequences that certain procedures carried out by the Outside Emergency Medical Services have, and because of this, the creation of Committees purporting to analyse the ethical and legal aspects of those situations that might be conflictive for the emergency professional and that ensure the rights of the patients in these situations, is strongly recommended. Furthermore, the need for the different emergency healthcare professionals to be better trained and more knowledgeable in this field is manifest as a way to ensure an improve healthcare quality of healthcare.

Keywords:

outside emergency services; ethical and legal problems; rights of the patientsquality of healthcare

Versión en Español

Título:

Aspectos ético-legales en las emergencias extrahospitalarias