What operations could a non doctor perform if they had phone contact with a doctor?

Question

What operations could a non doctor perform if they had phone contact with a doctor? I ask because occasionally on tv, you see a nondoctor performing an operation (like a tracheotomy or even an appendectomy) being performed by a non doctor who is getting phone advice from a doctor. Is this at all possible?

I should say that I promise never to try this!

Answer 1

No, in the absence of a formal medical license, this would constitute the practice of medicine without a license (illegal).  No reasonable physician would call a patient and ask the patient to perform a procedure on her/himself.  It's frankly too laughable to even consider.

Answer 2

Legally, none

Without the proper anesthesias, instruments, suturing materials, none.

With all the proper instruments, anesthesia, sterile equipment, etc., and lots of understanding of anatomy, truly, not many successfully.

Answer 3

In theory it is possible to preform any operation without the assistance of a doctor provided you have the equipment. The practice of doing so in the United States at least is illegal as you would be practicing Medicine without a license. A tracheotomy is actually a rather simple procedure considering everything so it is possible for it to be described over the phone however again.....not the best of ideas

Answer 4

Both military medics and civilian paramedics are trained to perform some simple emergency surgical procedures.  I believe that military medics are trained to perform emergency appendectomies, and both are trained to perform a variation of a tracheotomy.  The reason is that sometimes these professionals treat patients who require emergency care, but are too far from a doctor.  The key is that they are trained already to do this, they aren't receiving step-by-step instructions over the phone.  I highly doubt any doctor would take the liability of trying to teach a procedure over the phone in real time.

Answer 5

In the real world...NONE!

Answer 6

A Tracheotomy is fairly simple, as is an appendectomy, but nobody without at least some medical training could even attempt this.

These are surgeries, but you could definitely inject emergency medication   assuming you could find a vein, which is fairly easy.

Med school students have been known to try and treat emergency wounds, usually they fck up, but at least they know something.

Crouching Doggie: In an emergency situation where no immediate help is available(ie ambulance) i doubt that anybody would press charges for unlicensed medical practice, so technically its illegal, but unless someone died i doubt anything would happen.