1. A physician, physician’s designee, advanced registered nurse practitioner, or physician assistant who gives orders, either directly or via communications equipment from some other point, or via standing protocols to an appropriately certified emergency medical care provider, registered nurse, or licensed practical nurse at the scene of an emergency, and an appropriately certified emergency medical care provider, registered nurse, or licensed practical nurse following the orders, are not subject to criminal liability by reason of having issued or executed the orders, and are not liable for civil damages for acts or omissions relating to the issuance or execution of the orders unless the acts or omissions constitute recklessness.

Terms Used In Iowa Code 147A.10

  • Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
  • Emergency medical care: means such medical procedures as:
     a. See Iowa Code 147A.1
  • Emergency medical care provider: means an individual trained to provide emergency and nonemergency medical care at the emergency medical responder, emergency medical technician, advanced emergency medical technician, paramedic, or other certification levels adopted by rule by the department, who has been issued a certificate by the department, or a person practicing pursuant to chapter 147D. See Iowa Code 147A.1
  • following: when used by way of reference to a chapter or other part of a statute mean the next preceding or next following chapter or other part. See Iowa Code 4.1
  • Hospital: means a facility licensed under chapter 135B, or a comparable emergency care facility located and licensed in another state. See Iowa Code 147A.21
  • Person: means a natural person. See Iowa Code 154A.1
  • Physician: means an individual licensed under chapter 148. See Iowa Code 147A.1
  • State: means a state, territory, or possession of the United States, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. See Iowa Code 152E.3
 2. A physician, physician’s designee, advanced registered nurse practitioner, physician assistant, registered nurse, licensed practical nurse, or emergency medical care provider shall not be subject to civil liability solely by reason of failure to obtain consent before rendering emergency medical, surgical, hospital or health services to any individual, regardless of age, when the patient is unable to give consent for any reason and there is no other person reasonably available who is legally authorized to consent to the providing of such care.
 3. An act of commission or omission of any appropriately certified emergency medical care provider, registered nurse, licensed practical nurse, or physician assistant, while rendering emergency medical care under the responsible supervision and control of a physician to a person who is deemed by them to be in immediate danger of serious injury or loss of life, shall not impose any liability upon the certified emergency medical care provider, registered nurse, licensed practical nurse, or physician assistant, the supervising physician, physician designee, advanced registered nurse practitioner, or any hospital, or upon the state, or any county, city or other political subdivision, or the employees of any of these entities; provided that this section shall not relieve any person of liability for civil damages for any act of commission or omission which constitutes recklessness.
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