I have heard a few stories about people who weren't allowed to help and were quite distressed by this. On the other hand a first aider the other day described themselves to me as 'a fellow medic' which I'm afraid I felt was a bit of a stretch - even more so after I'd talked to him for a bit*. I can't reference it but I've heard that something like 1/10 people who respond to a call for a medic aren't medically trained by any reasonable definition.
Interestingly when I renewed my UK passport a few months ago I got a call out of the blue asking whether I wanted it to state that I was a medical doctor. Of course, if I were to admit to being a British medical doctor I wouldn't be allowed to post to this forum anonymously so I had to say 'no', obviously**.
Attending a medical emergency on a flight really isn't something I would relish doing. Working in a hospital you get used to having a range of diagnostic tests available to guide you, familiar equipment and lots of well trained help. You have reasonably quiet rooms where you can take a history in peace and privacy ('When was your last period? Was it normal for you? Are they usually that irregular? Have you had any sexually transmitted infections in the past? - all important questions if you're suspecting an ectopic pregnancy - do airlines stock pregnancy testing kits?) What of a suspected testicular torsion? Do you huddle patient, (presumed) doctor and one of the airline hostesses (chaperone) in the toilets together for an examination? Or do you draw the curtains to the galley? Do you undress women in the aisle in order to apply defibrillator pads?
I have a confession: even though I don't work in an emergency department I feel I'm not as slick as I should be when it comes to cardiac arrest calls. Medicine has moved towards predicting who is about to die and either doing something about it before their heart has stopped, or giving up in advance. Older medics will have attended many, many arrests. Newer doctors may only attend one or two a year.
Medicolegal concerns do weigh in. I know nothing about air law as it pertains to medicine, but I do know that in various countries in the Middle East everyone even peripherally involved in a clinical incident is liable to lose their passport until the inquest is completed - i.e. years. On the other hand, in France you can be prosecuted for 'non-assistance a personnes en danger'. Personally I would find it hard to not assist if I felt I could but I completely understand the advice I've heard to 'get tipsy before you board the flight, and endeavour to stay drunk until it lands'.
Incidentally I've also heard a few stories of doctors who've been left in the lurch (e.g. in an emergency divert airport if they've accompanied the ambulance crew to the hospital) or not even thanked after preventing an expensive diversion by diagnosing renal stones.
* but then again, he might well be a lot better than me in some aspects of out-of-hospital first aid.
** something of a digression: the British medical regulator has said that doctors should not mention online that they are doctors without being willing to give their contact details. Many in the profession feel that they are over-reaching themselves somewhat. I'm actually a dogtor.
Last edited by abgd; 5th Sep 2016 at 04:27.