Protocols and medical issues

Protocol
A street medic protocol is a concise document which guides the care rendered by street medics. Unlike medical issues, protocols are written only to the scope of practice of basic street medics. They should be easy to memorize, and require no prior medical knowledge beyond first response initial assessment.

Additional purposes of street medic protocols are to standardize treatment, raise the quality of care, and reduce risk to the patient and the medic. All street medic protocols are guided by the Athens manifesto and Some expectations of street medics, two collaboratively-developed consensus documents. These documents, in turn, are based on the fundamental code of Do No Harm.

Street medic protocols are often adapted by local groups to be more relevant to the needs of the population that group serves. Adapted protocols are often buided by Points of unity.

List of street medic protocols

 * Initial assessment - An organized way to recognize and respond to life-threatening emergencies in a crisis
 * Open wounds - Care for scrapes, cuts, punctures, torn flesh, or amputation
 * Strains sprains and breaks - Care for muscle, joint and bone injuries

Medical issues
Street medical issues documents also guide care by street medics. Medical issues are less concise than protocols, and guide street medic continuing education.

Medical issues briefly identify, summarize and evaluate the best evidence and most current data about prevention, diagnosis, prognosis, therapy, risk/benefit and cost-effectiveness. Then they define the most important questions related to street medic or street clinician practice and identify all possible decision options and their outcomes.

Medical issues are targeted at street medics who have mastered the basics in practice, and as such they define a scope of practice slightly broader than the scope of practice of basic street medics. Medical issues help medics use their prior knowledge and experience in the less-than-ideal environments in which street medics operate.

List of medical issues

 * Documenting injuries (police brutality) - How to document your injuries for lawsuits and criminal defense
 * Emotional aftercare (herbal) - Some people hold stress in their bodies following demos. These formulas may aid a person in their emotional recovery
 * Handcuff injury - Medical review of so-called "Handcuff Neuropathy" a superficial radial nerve branch compression mononeuropathy
 * Help getting to sleep - Not sleeping for long periods of time is extremely dangerous for physical and emotional well-being. This article was created to aid in maintaining a healthy sleep schedule
 * Help getting to sleep (herbal) - Herbs have traditionally aided people in relaxing and getting to sleep
 * Hunger strike - Health and safety during hunger strikes
 * Hunger strike (in prison) - Guidelines for providing medical advocacy to imprisoned hunger strikers
 * Hypothermia - Information on cold and wet-weather illnesses.
 * Injury aftercare (herbal) - There are numerous herbal remedies for injuries that help the body to heal faster with less residual damage. This formula can be used for a wide variety of injuries such as cuts, scrapes, bruises, sprains and strains
 * Special considerations for gunshot wounds and shrapnel wounds - Issue relating to Open wounds protocol.
 * Taser