Considerations for Medical Students’ and Residents’ Response to an In-Flight Call for Help

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: High quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation and medical care in an emergency can save lives, especially when resources are limited, as when in flight on a commercial airplane. A medical student or resident may be the most qualified person to offer assistance during an in-flight cardiac arrest; however, he/she may not yet have experience acting as a sole provider on the ground. Moreover, physicians-in-training may feel an ethical obligation to help a fellow passenger in need, but later worry that their help is subject to questions of tort liability action. This commentary will discuss who should volunteer to help in flight, considering the capability, ethics, and legal consequences of medical students and residents providing medical assistance on an airplane. It will also discuss how changes in medical curriculum due to the COVID-19 pandemic may aid medical trainees’ ability to help during an in-flight emergency as well as propose further opportunities for training.Edelson J, Ruskin K. Considerations for medical students’ and residents’ response to an in-flight call for help. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2024; 95(1):59–60.