Epi-cally Stupid

I'm going to make this short and sweet because I've got other things to do, and if I let myself go I'll rant for hours and hours.

Consider this an open letter to Massachusetts OEMS:

Dear Sirs/Madams:

I understand that Paramedics in Massachusetts are no longer allowed to draw up their own initial doses of Epi 1:1,000 nor administer them with traditional SQ/IM techniques, but instead must use EpiPens. I also understand that while we can still draw up our own follow-up doses, we must first contact Medical Control and get a Physician's permission.

From the scuttlebutt amongst us lowly providers, this is the result of a half-dozen to a dozen (depending on who's telling the story) instances where paramedics (who don't deserve capitalization in this case) have mistakenly administered said 1:1,000 through a peripheral IV, with adverse outcomes.

My question is two-fold:

1 -- why are you restricting the practice of all Paramedics, 99.9 percent of whom DID NOT make this error?

2 -- why are the 12 or so IDIOTS who did make this life-threatening mistake still allowed to work in Massachusetts?

Wouldn't it make more sense to re-educate or de-certify the offenders rather than dumb-down an entire profession?

Did anyone also consider what this means for our patients, who will now have to suffer the consequences of both paramedic blunder and bureaucratic overkill?

Having had injections by SQ/IM and autoinjector, I can tell you that a properly administered SQ/IM injection is FAR LESS painful than the spring-loaded delights we now must jam into our patients.

I implore you to undo this rule change and aim your sights instead on the knuckleheads who deserve it.

Thank you.

CMM