Medical air transport crash: Case report of crisis/ emergency management by a flight nurse

Resumo

 Though medical air transport is a fast-developing field, no specific regulations have been formulated regarding the training and skills required by the health professionals involved in aeromedical missions, especially emergency nurses. Despite the potential benefits observed in case- and simulation-based training, there is a lack of evidence suggesting that a complete team training in all emergency skills leads to improved prognosis in a critical situation. Regarding non-technical skills, the repeated simulations of crisis resource management skills (problem solving, situational awareness, resource utilization, communication, and leadership) for nurses are associated with better knowledge retention. However, there is little demonstration of their relevance in improving the patient’s prognosis in real care situations. This paper is a case report of a medical air transport crash during the outbound segment of the flight. The aircraft sustained serious damage, and many of the crew were injured. The flight nurse was responsible for providing care to the other crew members, managing decision-making in life-threatening situations, and sharing information with the professionals on board the aircraft as well as with the rescue team. This report aims to demonstrate the importance of flight nurses and other medical crew (such as flight physicians and physiotherapists) being proficient in aircraft emergency procedures and receiving effective crisis resource management training.