Dealing with Medical Emergencies in Bars and Restaurants

Visiting a restaurant is usually an enjoyable experience. However, on rare occasions, a customer may suffer a medical emergency. This scenario can be further exacerbated in places that serve alcohol, such as bars and breweries.

These situations can vary in their extremity. Heart attacks are undoubtedly one of the most common life-threatening ailments. It is a severe emergency and requires people to act quickly. Strokes and seizures are similar in this regard. The patient will sometimes have suffered an injury that cuts them deeply. Whatever the cause of the emergency may be, it is usually up to the restaurant or bar staff to act and save the patient.

What Staff Can Do

The priority is to call the emergency services. The caller should be calm and explain clearly the nature of the emergency. They should answer any questions that are asked, to help the ambulance crew prepare any necessary equipment.

While waiting patiently for the ambulance, it may be necessary for staff to aid the patient directly. This could include performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). If the patient is bleeding heavily, then the staff member may also need to bandage the wound. It is always worth asking the emergency services on the phone exactly what to do.

There is an increasing number of bars and restaurants that have defibrillators on hand. Not all staff members will be allowed access to these machines. Usually, there will be a designated person who can operate the defibrillator on unwell customers. They will be certified and trained to use them. In extreme life or death circumstances, people can call 999, and ask how to use these machines.

How Patients Can Minimise Risk

One of the best ways to minimise the risks of a medical emergency, (either in public or at home), is to get treatment for any pre-existing conditions. When symptoms occur, a person should make a doctors appointment. The GP can then diagnose the issue, and prescribe medication.

An issue for many people in the UK is the inconvenience of setting up these appointments. Luckily they can download livi, an app that is designed specifically for patients. They can use it to get advice, prescriptions and referrals.

The app allows users to have video consultations with medical professionals from the comfort of their own home. They can do this on their smart device. This makes Livi one of the most convenient tools, for those who rely on the NHS for their health care.

Livi was first founded in Sweden in 2015. Since then, it has worked with over 400 doctors to make life easier for patients. The app has partnered up with NHS establishments throughout Britain. This means that wherever a patient lives, they are likely to find a doctor who is on Livi. It is the ideal method for modern medicine.