A flight attendant report on the lack of information in company operations manual and on the cover o...

Attributes
ACN	554604
Time
Date	200207
Day	Mon
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	atc facility : zab.artcc
State Reference	NM
Environment
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	artcc : zab.artcc
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	B757 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	cruise : level
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight attendant : on duty
Qualification	flight attendant : currently qualified
Experience	flight attendant time airline total : 2 flight attendant time total : 2 flight attendant time type : 30
ASRS Report	554604
Person 2
Function	observation : passenger
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : less severe cabin event : passenger illness cabin event other other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other other : 1
Resolutory Action	controller : provided flight assist flight crew : diverted to another airport
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Passenger Human Performance Company Aircraft
Primary Problem	Company
Situations
Publication	COMPANY OPS MANUAL

Narrative:

Passenger complained of kidney stone pain and thought that she had passed a kidney stone in the concourse lavatory prior to boarding. Passenger stated she wanted to go home and said she was in the process of trying to pass another kidney stone when we were in-flight. A PA was made for a doctor and an md responded and sat with passenger in first class (passenger was a first class passenger). The doctor said the captain should land the plane because many problems would ensue if we were in-flight and the passenger went into shock. Once we landed in amarillo, tx, the passenger was transported to a hospital for further treatment. Prior to the doctor deciding to land the aircraft, the doctor inquired what type of medication, if any, was in the enhances medical kit. A flight attendant informed the doctor it could only be opened by a doctor. The flight attendant looked in the safety manual for a listing of the enhanced medical kit items and could not find such a listing of the contents. This is when the doctor said it would be better for the passenger to be on the ground because the passenger could go into shock and serious problems could arise and this would not be managed in the air. I feel it would be advantageous to have a complete published list of items in the enhanced medical kit, either on the outside of the enhanced medical kit cover and/or in our safety manuals so that the physicians or other health care professionals know exactly what is available for their usage. Please see 'medical equipment' in our safety manual for reference.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A FLT ATTENDANT RPT ON THE LACK OF INFO IN COMPANY OPS MANUAL AND ON THE COVER OF THE FIRST AID KIT REGARDING CONTENTS OF SAME. INFO PROB WAS FOUND DURING PAX ILLNESS AND SUBSEQUENT DIVERSION OF FLT TO AMA, TX.

Narrative: PAX COMPLAINED OF KIDNEY STONE PAIN AND THOUGHT THAT SHE HAD PASSED A KIDNEY STONE IN THE CONCOURSE LAVATORY PRIOR TO BOARDING. PAX STATED SHE WANTED TO GO HOME AND SAID SHE WAS IN THE PROCESS OF TRYING TO PASS ANOTHER KIDNEY STONE WHEN WE WERE INFLT. A PA WAS MADE FOR A DOCTOR AND AN MD RESPONDED AND SAT WITH PAX IN FIRST CLASS (PAX WAS A FIRST CLASS PAX). THE DOCTOR SAID THE CAPT SHOULD LAND THE PLANE BECAUSE MANY PROBS WOULD ENSUE IF WE WERE INFLT AND THE PAX WENT INTO SHOCK. ONCE WE LANDED IN AMARILLO, TX, THE PAX WAS TRANSPORTED TO A HOSPITAL FOR FURTHER TREATMENT. PRIOR TO THE DOCTOR DECIDING TO LAND THE ACFT, THE DOCTOR INQUIRED WHAT TYPE OF MEDICATION, IF ANY, WAS IN THE ENHANCES MEDICAL KIT. A FLT ATTENDANT INFORMED THE DOCTOR IT COULD ONLY BE OPENED BY A DOCTOR. THE FLT ATTENDANT LOOKED IN THE SAFETY MANUAL FOR A LISTING OF THE ENHANCED MEDICAL KIT ITEMS AND COULD NOT FIND SUCH A LISTING OF THE CONTENTS. THIS IS WHEN THE DOCTOR SAID IT WOULD BE BETTER FOR THE PAX TO BE ON THE GND BECAUSE THE PAX COULD GO INTO SHOCK AND SERIOUS PROBS COULD ARISE AND THIS WOULD NOT BE MANAGED IN THE AIR. I FEEL IT WOULD BE ADVANTAGEOUS TO HAVE A COMPLETE PUBLISHED LIST OF ITEMS IN THE ENHANCED MEDICAL KIT, EITHER ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE ENHANCED MEDICAL KIT COVER AND/OR IN OUR SAFETY MANUALS SO THAT THE PHYSICIANS OR OTHER HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS KNOW EXACTLY WHAT IS AVAILABLE FOR THEIR USAGE. PLEASE SEE 'MEDICAL EQUIP' IN OUR SAFETY MANUAL FOR REF.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.

A flight attendant report on the lack of information in company operations manual and on the cover of the first aid kit regarding contents of same. Information problem was found during passenger illness and subsequent diversion of flight to ama, tx.