Centre 15 in Nîmes: heart attacks, strokes, minor injuries, doctors and regulators mobilized 24 hours a day

Olivier Onde, the medical director of the Samu of the Nîmes University Hospital. HOCINE ROUAGDIA

The medical regulation assistants (ARM), this Tuesday morning, here, David and one of his colleagues who are providing care to a patient. HOCINE ROUAGDIA

The Samu has a helicopter that allows resources to be projected to the other end of the department. It takes about eight minutes to get to Grau-du-Roi. HOCINE ROUAGDIA

Doctor Onde runs the emergency medical aid service (Samu) and the emergency medical and resuscitation structure (Smur) HOCINE ROUAGDIA

Le docteur Onde et à gauche, le docteur Brigitte Dardalhon, le docteur Ibanez était également de garde. HOCINE ROUAGDIA

Une équipe de pilotes est constamment mobilisable. HOCINE ROUAGDIA

Center 15 handles both emergencies and general medical issues HOCINE ROUAGDIA

Les pilotes sont installés dans un local modeste à côté de l'hélicoptère. HOCINE ROUAGDIA

200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000

The 15 center receives all emergency calls in the department. The work of the regulators and doctors is to sort and direct patients towards the best therapeutic response. Doctor Olivier Onde heads the largest medical emergency platform at the Nîmes University Hospital.

Behind the apparent calm of a Samu operator, an emergency situation may be unfolding on the other end of the line. At Samu, the atmosphere is studious and almost peaceful. But despite the appearance of serenity, the calls received in the largest emergency call center of 15 are sometimes extremely serious. Despite the seriousness of the situation, the operators remain calm in order to collect as much information as possible and fill out a form that immediately specifies the caller's address, name, and telephone number. This Tuesday, December 24, the teams of the 15 center, located right next to the emergency department of the Nîmes University Hospital, did not deviate from the rule of a unit that operates 24 hours a day and applies a well-oiled methodology that consists of assessing the situation and directing the call according to its seriousness, explained in essence, Doctor Olivier Onde, the medical director of the Samu who is a figure of the Nîmes hospital.

Headaches, colds, strokes, heart attacks or simple injuries, everything is taken into account

Thus, the medical regulation assistant takes the initial information from the person who contacts 15 and proceeds to an assessment of the medical situation. “They question the patients and assess the seriousness. Either it is a vital or serious emergency and in this case, the person is immediately put in contact with a doctor”, continues Dr. Onde. If the case is serious, at this point, the file is transferred to the Samu which triggers resources and sets the medical response cursor according to the urgency of the situation (stroke, heart attack or simple migraine): mission of an SOS doctors doctor, sending of a private ambulance or firefighters, movement of a vehicle from the Smur or Samu or even in the most serious cases and extreme situations, the take-off of a Samu helicopter with a team of emergency doctors on board.

Dr. Onde explains that on site, the first responders take a check-up of the patient's vital signs (blood pressure, blood oxygen level, temperature). The 15 center adds the elements to the patient's file, which is already the subject of pre-management. This will then facilitate their management in the emergency services. Which will be able to anticipate the implementation of tests such as a scanner, blood tests, an electrocardiogram.

Regulation center dedicated to general medicine

For less urgent cases, the patient is referred to a unit of regulators and doctors who provide the general medicine part. Even if the case is not serious, it may be wise or necessary to provide a medical response and that is why the patient can speak to a doctor, notes Dr. Onde. For the general medicine part, in certain specific cases, we are able to send a prescription to the pharmacy to allow a patient to treat an asthma attack or treat cystitis, notes the big boss of emergencies. While serious cases are obviously treated as quickly as possible, the most numerous calls “are the responsibility of the medical council, this represents 66% of calls”.

1500 calls per day expected during the holidays

Minor pathologies are nevertheless taken into account and result in a referral to a medical center or general medicine slots that are reserved by the Samu in private medical practices. Every day, the 15 center receives an average of 1,000 calls per day, a number of calls that can climb to 1,300 on weekends and 1,500 during the holidays. Why this increase ? The closure of clinics or medical practices which lead these patients to turn to 15. The advice of Doctor Olivier Onde before going directly to the emergency room ? First call 15 to assess the medical situation

I subscribe to read the rest