I Njuries From a Ssaults on P Aramedics and F Irefighters in an U Rban E Mergency M Edical S Ervices S Ystem

Abstract

In this EMS system, injuries resulting from assaults were uncommon. However, due to their potential impact on the victims and the EMS system as a whole, policies and procedures should be developed to minimize these incidents.

Violence toward health care workers in emergency departments in west Turkey

“…This finding is in line with previous studies showing that 4 -7% of ES had experienced physical violence (16,20). However, in most studies not supporting our finding, these ratios ranged from 20.0% to 66.0% (14,21,22).…”

Workplace Violence: A Survey of Nationally Registered Emergency Medical Services Professionals

“…In a review of the narratives from 4,200 ambulance reports, Tintinalli and McCoy found that 12% of violent patients possessed weapons [37]. The results confirm the statements of other authors, who have commented that some EMS agencies have purchased body armor for their personnel [20]. Overall, 9.5% of the nationally registered EMTs belonged to a service that provided body armor.…”

“…While differences in subjects' interpretations of the meaning of assault, violence, weapon, and so forth might have potentially biased the results of previous work, this current study defined the specific types of violence. Additionally, unless a standardized definition of assault is established in advance (as was done here), it is possible for the resultant data to include cases that were not in keeping with a study's original intent [20]. This improved characterization of the nature of prehospital violence provides a level of detail necessary to develop and institute appropriate preventive measures [21].…”

On the job illness and injury resulting in lost work time among a national cohort of emergency medical services professionals

“…exposure to blood borne pathogens from needle stick injuries [Hochreiter and Barton, 1988;Reed et al, 1993], muskuloskelatal injuries such as sprains and strains due to everyday occurrences such as lifting and moving patients [Lavender et al, 2000a,b;Crill and Hostler, 2005;Jones and Lee, 2005], injuries sustained from violent and combative patients [Grange and Corbett, 2002;Mechem et al, 2002] and injury due to motor vehicle crashes involving ambulances [Kahn et al, 2001;Maguire et al, 2002;Becker et al, 2003;Proudfoot, 2003].…”