This document outlines the agenda and materials for a presentation on medical issues that can arise on flights and how physicians should handle in-flight emergencies. The presentation covers common medical problems on planes, how the environment can impact treatment, useful approaches before takeoff, and liability issues for off-duty medical professionals. It includes interactive case studies where participants take on roles in simulated in-flight medical emergencies and discuss teamwork, tools available, and appropriate roles. The goal is for attendees to learn how to best assist if a doctor is needed during a flight.

1. Is there a doctor on the plane?
36th Emergency Medicine for Rural Hospitals
January 17 - 19, 2020
David Topps
Medical Director, Office of Health & Medical Education Scholarship
The Office of Continuing Medical Education & Professional Development

2. Faculty:
• David Topps, Family Medicine, University of Calgary
Financial Affiliations:
• Honoraria, other rewards: none
• Speakers' Bureaux, advisory boards: none
• Grants, clinical trials: PiHPES and OLab are grant supported
• Patents, royalties: none
• Investments in health organizations: none
• Other influential affiliations: Medbiq
Faculty/Presenter Disclosure
The Office of CME & PD

3. • I have taken the appropriate steps to ensure that the use of third party
material in this presentation falls under fair dealing in the Copyright Act
https://library.ucalgary.ca/copyright/
• This material is licensed under Creative Commons, BY-NC-SA
• Please do not assume you can reuse all of these images
• I have properly cited third party material in one of the ways outlined
below
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The Office of CME & PD
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4. 1. List common medical issues that can worry you on flights
2. Describe how the environment can affect what you can do
3. Inventory useful approaches before take-off
4. Explain liability issues for physicians, nursing professionals off-duty in
restrictive environments
Learning Objectives
The Office of CME & PD

5. Agenda
5
• Case #1
• Overview & common points
• Case #2
• Teamwork tips
• Case #3
• Debrief & discussion
• Today I learned…

6. Case #1
6
• https://demo.openlabyrinth.ca/renderLabyrinth/index/
1785
• 3-5 mins
• 3 players or as single group

7. Common Points
7
• What are your concerns?
• Good Samaritan guidelines
• Are you obligated?
• How common?
• What is common?
• Whose call is it anyway?

8. Case #2
8
• https://demo.openlabyrinth.ca/renderLabyrinth/index/
1786
• Role play required
• 5-10 mins
• 3-7 players

9. Case #2 scenario outline
9
• You are all on a long distance flight back to Canada
from South America, which will take 11 hours. Your
flight has already been delayed 3 hours so everyone is
tired, grumpy and anxious to get home.
• Finally, the flight has departed about an hour ago and
the crew are just serving drinks. You are on the new
Dreamliner, which should make for a more pleasant
and restful flight.
• You are just starting to relax when the call comes, “Is
there a doctor on the plane? We have a medical
emergency.”

10. Case #2 debrief
10
• What came out of this?
• What went well?
• https://www.facebook.com/toppsd/videos/101570697
44223454/?lst=655338453%3A655338453%3A157895
3565 – guess what this is?

11. Teamwork & tools
11
• You are not alone
• Ground Medical Staff very experienced & helpful
• Big flight usually has several HCPs
• Coordinate and play nice
• What should your role be?
• Limits to what you can do
• Environment: noise, space, lighting
• What is in the kit?

12. Case #3
12
• https://demo.openlabyrinth.ca/renderLabyrinth/index/
1787
• 5-10 mins
• Role play not required – can use for group discussion

13. Final recap
13
• GMS are helpful and experienced
• KISS
• Other CLEO questions?
• Compensation?

14. Today I learned…
14
• Single sentence wrap-up
• ”…that the pilot makes the decision”
• NOT “I liked the interactiveness…” etc
• Group effect reinforces the learning for all.

15. Resources
15
• Quick link: http://tiny.cc/docaboard
• Materials: https://olab.ca/in-flight-emergencies/
• App: AirRx
• Contact: https://openlabyrinth.ca/contact/

16. Thanks to…
16
• Jim Chung & team – CMAJ plus pointers
• Paulo Alves, Medaire
• TJ Doyle, Stat-MD
• CMPA