Documenting a Patient Assist

Scenario: You are dispatched on a patient assist call. You arrive at the patient’s home and help him off the floor. Should you do a report?

From the EMS brass:

“While we’re still considering whether this should be a report, it’s a safer bet right now to assume you should do a report. When you arrive and inquire about the patient to the patient, you’re essentially starting an assessment. Also, if you help him up and then three days later he has pain, also saying he tried to tell you and you weren’t interested, it’s difficult for us to determine what happened or didn’t happen if there is not report.”

In short, it looks like you should do a report until/unless you hear otherwise from headquarters.