SE9 - Pain Management Equipment

Purpose

To establish the appropriate requirements for pain management equipment, if used at aquatic facilities.

Pain Management Medicine Type

This guideline is restricted to Methoxyflurane dispensed from an approved inhaler.

Background

Lifeguards are often primary responders to emergencies where a patient is in significant pain.

Some of these incidents occur at relatively isolated locations where paramedic / ambulance assistance can be some time away. The administration of basic pain management medicine can add value to service provision in some areas where there is proven need.

Description

The provision for Aquatic Facilities to hold pain management medicine requires adherence to strict state/territory health regulations specifically related to need, supply, training, storage and auditing/reporting requirements.

Approval to Hold Methoxyflurane

Aquatic Facilities seeking to hold Methoxyflurane must apply to their state/territory health department (or similar) outlining their desire to obtain and administer Methoxyflurane and the proven need and capacity to do so effectively. Application does not mean automatically being granted for approval.

Approval considerations will include:

• Distance/average response time to ambulance services – an Aquatic Facility within a close distance/response time to ambulance services may not be eligible to hold Methoxyflurane.
• Aquatic Facility size – whether the Aquatic Facility holds a sufficient number of personnel to make the provision of Methoxyflurane effective.
• High incident numbers and frequency of need.
• Personnel qualified in the administration of Methoxyflurane.

Authorised Personnel

Methoxyflurane is to be administered by a registered authorised person, only for the purpose of emergency first aid in the course of their duties as an employee of the Aquatic Facility and in accordance with the protocols issued by the Aquatic Facility, and in accordance with the authority issued by state/territory health regulations.

Reporting (Forms/Documents)

A ‘Drug Register Logbook’ shall be maintained within the lockable storage cabinet with the supply of Methoxyflurane and utilised by the owner or operator of the Aquatic Facility to ‘sign-out and sign-in’ the drug when released for operational duties and also log drug use (incident) and resupply.

A ‘Patient Handover Form’ shall be used and completed by the authorised personnel administering the drug. A copy is provided for handover to Ambulance.

A copy of the relevant ‘incident log’ and ‘Patient Handover Form’ which gave rise to the need to replenish stocks shall be provided with the ‘Methoxyflurane Order Form’ to the supplier.

Records relating to the administration and disposition (receipt and supply) of Methoxyflurane should be retained for twelve months.

Qualifications

Staffs at an Aquatic Facility who have a duty of care to use Methoxyflurane at an aquatic facility should:

1. Hold one of the following (or equivalent) current nationally recognised Statement/s of Attainment issued by a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) for the nationally endorsed first aid unit/s of competency:
   • PUAEME005A Provide Pain Management &
   • HLTAID006A Provide Advanced First Aid