ility of emergency medical care (www.gaemt.org/ga00010.htm, 1998). Further, the EMT is required under professional codes of ethics to respect and hold in confidence, all information of a confidential nature obtained in the course of professional work unless required by law to divulge such information. Other normative and ethical issues impacting upon the EMT include the refusal to participate in unethical procedures.
EMTs are also ethically required to determine the competency of the patient with respect to treatment decisions, and respond accordingly. Health care workers should not jeopardize their own safety but should provide all clients with state-of-the-art care. The Eastern Pennsylvania Emergency Medical Services Council (1999) stated that EMTs should be cognizant of the fact that all patients must be considered potential carriers of communicable disease and precautions should be taken to avoid exposure to blood or body fluids. Gloves should be worn when dealing with known or suspected communicable diseases, particularly when drawing blood, before respiratory procedures such as intubation, when caring for open wounds or sores, and working with patients who are vomiting, having diarrhea, melena, or drainage from surgical sites. Proper disposal of needles and sharp instruments and other contaminated equipment or instruments is essential. Masks and eye protection should always be used when there is a possibility that body fluids or blood may be sprayed or aerosolized. Needlestick injuries should be reported immediately and all infectious disease incidents or cases should be thoroughly documented and processed through the provider's medical director. Given these protective caveats, the EMT must "under no circumstances withhold care from a patient known to have a communicable disease or suspected to be a carrier of communicable disease (Eastern Pennsylvania Emergency Services Council, 1999, p. 4)."
Efforts to redu...