The type of emergency equipment and medications needed in an office of podiatry is dependent upon many factors, including the level of service provided, the skills of the podiatric physician and his/her staff and the distance to the nearest emergency department.

While rare, medical emergencies do happen in the office setting. Patients, visitors or staff could suffer from an unexpected medical emergency. Therefore, all offices should have a plan to deal with this type of situation. The plan could be as simple as having the receptionist dial 9-1-1 and a staff member certified in basic life support perform CPR, if necessary, until EMS personnel arrive.

The more sophisticated the plan and equipment, the more responsibility a podiatric physician has. No office should stock emergency equipment and/or medications that cannot be used safely by office staff. Ideally, all office employees should be trained and maintain certification in basic life support, regardless of their office
responsibilities.

If a person expresses he/she is suicidal, this is an emergency situation and should be treated as such. The office’s medical emergency plan should be implemented. The patient should not be left alone until EMS personnel arrive to assume care and treatment of the patient.