nytraveller53

I would hope that all medical professionals would be willing to assist the best they can in an emergency situation without some type of incentive...I'm pleased to see that our members in the medical field seem happy to help whenever they can without any "gifts."

Josher747

This service is on Delta AND Delta Connection.. The information is relayed through the pilots via ARINC, and doesn't have anything to do with GoGo WiFi

aubreyfromwheaton

This is not legal or medical advice:

I don't think it would be wise to ask for any compensation for helping out during an inflight crisis.

if any was given for goodwill, sobeit.

But I would NEVER write in asking for compensation/recognition if I were the one to help out during any sort of medical crisis, both because I think it's morally suspect and secondarily (NOT LEGAL ADVICE) implies receiving benefit/compensation for the decision making (a la payment for services.)

That being said, I think medical professionals should have near immunity for their help/decisionmaking in-flight.

I think it is way to easy to second guess inflight decision making in hindsight.

("couldn't a reasonable person suspect a stroke was happening? couldn't a reasonable person suspect something else was happening? Why would you take a chance by continuing to the destination? etc)

I wonder if Delta has trip interruption insurance to cover the enormous costs of diverting in these circumstances, especially as the population gets older, sicker, and less likely to naturally die suddenly.

MSPeconomist

I wonder too whether taking compensation for helping someone after the medical professional had consumed a bit of alcohol on board could have nasty legal or licensing implications.

OnTheSlopes

I'm a Veterinarian (DVM) and practicing, current ski patroller, and former paramedic. (I like this emergency thing!) IMHO anyone with training (MD, RN, EMT) are equal in these situations. Reason I say that is the very limited medical supplies available on a plane limits what anyone could do. Anyone (including us vets ) can identify difficulty breathing and provide basic life support. You could be having a heart attack seated next to the best cardiac surgeon in the world...but his/her hands would be tied in what they could do.

My personal opinion, compensation isn't justified. I would (but have not yet) help if called. I agree with concerns about about possibly this being payment for services. Also, on the LH comment above - I would never want to be "known" on a flight. Far too much liability in my mind. And, possibly too high a BAC to be as sharp as I should be in a crisis. If I feel I am able to effectively assist, I gladly would. If I did not feel it appropriate (for whatever reason) I would not respond the request.

I wouldn't want to even get into the thoughts of licensing and laws related to this (especially international flights). So, that's my personal opinion from numerous medical perspectives, FWIW.

Doc Savage

Wow - hope those jokers don't have a cardiac event in an inconvenient place sometime.

AA gave me 25k miles for assisting once. Certainly didn't request it.

geoflyer

I am a fire department EMT (volunteer), and have helped out maybe a dozen times on various airlines over the last 25 years. While I have never of course asked for compensation (that would not be ethical), compensation is often offered, ranging from a bottle of champagne and some chocolates (swiss air) right up to 20,000 miles into my account (AA). The latter is apparently AA's standard compensation for offering medical assistance on a flight. I agree with other posts that the FAs are always professional, helpful, and very appreciative when someone steps forward to offer aid. So far I have never recommended to the captain that the flight divert for a medical, that would be a tough call to make.

RobertS975

Congress enacted the Aviation Medical Assistance Act around about 1998 or so. This legislation was what caused US carriers to upgrade their on board med kits and to place automatic external defribrillators on aircraft.

It also provides medical professionals with some degree of immunity. Unfortunately, one can still get sued, spend plenty of time in depositions etc. The medical professional will have to prove that his/her decisions or actions were not grossly negligent. Then there are issues of jurisdiction... what happens if the problem occurs on a US carrier flying over the Brazilian jungle? Does the American law apply?

I am not a lawyer, but a doctor. In my professional life, I mostly do GI endoscopic procedures. So the reality is that even though I have MD after my name, my area of expertise will generally be a minimal value on an airplane. You do what you can, but in many situations, the best thing for the afflicted passenger is to get him on the ground and to a well-equipped and well-staffed medical facility.


Millions of people fly each year. In the US alone, anywhere from about 20-80 passengers die on board each year. I do not know if the FAA publishes these statistics, but I have seen them published in medical journal articles dealing with the subject of inflight medical emergencies.

peachfront

Just out of curiosity, why is it unethical to take compensation for medical advice in the air, but it is ethical to take compensation for medical advice on the ground? I'm glad that I don't have to worry about being billed for emergency medical advice on a flight, but I'm just curious as to how this particular tradition arose. Ethics doesn't seem to be the real answer or it would be just as unethical to charge people for medical services down here on earth. It isn't because of lack of equipment, because we've all gone to doctors who didn't have the right equipment and sent us elsewhere for tests...and we were still billed for the advice to go somewhere else.

nidem

A letter would be fine, but I can't imagine it would be more than some form letter. As for any other compensation and according to what I understand (IANAL), that could cause some serious legal issues. If you accept compensation, even something minor, you lose the protections of the Good Samaritan laws. If the patient decides to sue you can have a big problem.

RobertS975

It is not unethical to accept compensation (I have received a very large gift basket, bottles of wine, and once received vouchers for 4 free RT guaranteed FC for our family of 4 that was aboard a diverted flight) but it is certainly a different matter from "charging" for your emergency services.

For one thing, the "volunteer" medical provider will almost certainly not possess a license to practice medicine in the location that the aircraft happens to be. I have a license to practice medicine in only one state.

Seems like some of you are really getting hung up on the compensation thing. Keep this in mind... if a passenger with medical expertise can prevent a diversion that otherwise might have been made, that saves many thousands of dollars for the carrier.

Doc Savage

There are all sorts of liability issues that may attach if remuneration is requested, and a good possibility of losing "Good Samaritan" type protection for the physician, who may well not be covered by malpractice insurance outside his typical practice, e.g., a hospital or his office.

Accepting a freely given gift post hoc may be a bit different, legally.

AM-PM-DM

I am the other-other kind of doctor (PhD) but have been a paramedic in a former life. Over the years I have been assisting in about a dozen or so in-flight emergencies. Sometimes as the sole responder to a call or in concert with physicians and nurses. As mentioned earlier in the thread, EMTs have the advantage to be used to work in confined spaces and with limited equipment. Most MDs are usually quite happy to have an EMT 'execute'.
I never was in a situation where we had to divert a flight, but FAs get a quite scared look once you ask for the 'doctors kit'.

To echo the others who have responded to calls in the air, I never ever thought about compensation. You are there to help someone in need.
That said, I have received anything from vouchers, miles, the above mentioned bottle of champagne wrapped in the grey garbage bag, to a relieved smile of the purser. I believe in NW times it went in your file as I had one booking agent comment on it.

I just hope that one day when I need help in the air, someone stands up...

Down3Green

Just to be really pedantic, the service that Delta (and a number of other airlines) contract with is called STAT-MD and as mentioned, it is associated with and utilizes the expertise at UPMC. While they are available 24/7 for inflight consultation during medical emergencies, I've also used them during preflight for passenger acceptance/screening issues for PAX with certain diseases or ailments.


Well, I'll assume you're with DL CONX, because after the installation of Go-Go internet, a number of the mainline fleets had Aircell provided phones that the F/A's could use in the cabin to directly connect with STAT MD. In a fairly recent development, it's been found that the quality of the Aircell phone service has prompted a return to all phone patches going through the flight deck, though we use ATL RDO, Delta's own inhouse OCC relay service, not ARINC.


While the final decision to divert is always up to the Captain, it should be noted that we are supposed to consider STAT MD guidance as primary, even over the advice of any on board medical personel. The reasons for this have already been touched on in a number of posts but include a lack of knowledge about the credentials, background or qualifications of any on board volunteers to handle a particular ailment, their possible unfamiliarity with aviation physiology and how it might affect a situation, and the extensive information that STAT MD has about facilities at various divert locations. After action reports of diverts that crews make without the advice of STAT MD has show a number of them were unnecessary and in some cases led to patients arriving at a location that was miles away from needed facilities.

With that said, I don't want to diminish the value of volunteers on board for both the immediate emergency First Aid they can provide and their ability to be the eyes and ears to collect vitals and other pertinent information. Certainly any recommendations they make would be passed on and given great weight. I've always had great volunteers in these situations and I hope they will continue to make themselves available with or without the possibillity of compensation.

UpgradeMePlz

I'm just about to move over to DL from UA following a move to NYC and unhappiness with the UA+CO merger...

I am also a nurse practitioner and have helped many times on UA flights when the call occurs. UA FAs would write down our info and a $200-$400 voucher would always arrive a few weeks later along with a nice form letter thanking me for the help from UA corporate.

That being said, while the compensation is nice, it's certainly not something I'd ask for nor is it something I would expect. Our job is to help people in need to the best extent of our training, and if that's what's necessary, then it's just what we do.

I know earlier there was a gastroenterologist saying he wasn't sure how much help he would be in the sky in such a situation, but trust me, you know how to do your basic assessment even if you primarily do just scopes for a living. On the other hand, I have been called to emergencies in the sky while there was an MD radiologist on the plane, and he fully deferred to me saying thank god you're here too, I haven't touched a patient in 10 years, so it's always interesting when there are multiple healthcare providers on board who is the best situated to help.