Universal rules are needed for doctors playing the "Good Samaritan" to members of the public who fall ill outside hospital, says an experienced medic.
Dr Rubin is a paediatrician by training, who has responded to some two dozen pleas over the past 25 years to help a member of the public who sustained injuries or became critically ill.
Doctors may not always be suitably qualified to take on all manner of public emergencies, he suggests. But no one ever calls out: "Is there a paramedic in the house?" he says.
Many specialists are not used to dealing with the kinds of emergencies that occur on the street. A person in a road traffic collision would be better served by a lifeguard than a dermatologist long out of basic training, for example
Aside from the possibility of mouth to mouth resuscitation, which, research shows, deters some doctors from responding to calls for medical assistance in public places, legal implications increasingly play a part in their discomfort at getting involved, he suggests.
The ‘Good Samaritan’ law, which supposedly affords doctors legal protection from subsequently disgruntled patients and their families "is not exactly airtight," says Dr Rubin.
It does not guarantee that someone will not sue, nor does it provide immunity from malpractice claims, he says.
Yet calls for public help are likely to become more frequent, given increasingly ageing populations and higher rates of chronic illness, he says.
"Are we comfortable relying on random physician expertise, availability, and willingness to meet our emergency needs in the air or on the ground?" he asks. "It is time to figure this out," he concludes.
Journal
Journal of Medical Ethics