Paramedic management of mental health related presentations: a scoping review

Emond, Kate; O’Meara, Peter; Bish, Melanie

doi:10.1080/09638237.2018.1487534

Cited by 26 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Recent studies investigating the role of paramedics indicate conflicting opinions about their scope of practice to manage mental health presentations [14,15]. It is thought that limited education and training have impacted paramedics' confidence and preparedness, resulting in varying views about their role [14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characteristics of Confidence and Preparedness in Paramedics in Metropolitan, Regional, and Rural Australia to Manage Mental-Health-Related Presentations: A Cross-Sectional Study

Emond

Bish

Savic

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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Mental-health-related presentations account for a considerable proportion of the paramedic’s workload in prehospital care. This cross-sectional study aimed to examine the perceived confidence and preparedness of paramedics in Australian metropolitan and rural areas to manage mental-health-related presentations. Overall, 1140 paramedics were surveyed. Pearson chi-square and Fisher exact tests were used to compare categorical variables by sex and location of practice; continuous variables were compared using the non-parametric Mann–Whitney and Kruskal–Wallis tests. Perceived confidence and preparedness were each modelled in multivariable ordinal regressions. Female paramedics were younger with higher qualifications but were less experienced than their male counterparts. Compared to paramedics working in metropolitan regions, those working in rural and regional areas were generally older with fewer qualifications and were significantly less confident and less prepared to manage mental health presentations (p = 0.001). Compared to male paramedics, females were less confident (p = 0.003), although equally prepared (p = 0.1) to manage mental health presentations. These results suggest that higher qualifications from the tertiary sector may not be adequately preparing paramedics to manage mental health presentations, which signifies a disparity between education provided and workforce preparedness. Further work is required to address the education and training requirements of paramedics in regional and rural areas to increase confidence and preparedness in managing mental health presentations.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characteristics of Confidence and Preparedness in Paramedics in Metropolitan, Regional, and Rural Australia to Manage Mental-Health-Related Presentations: A Cross-Sectional Study

Emond

Bish

Savic

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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“…Despite the important role of paramedics in pre-hospital management of psychiatric problems, little evidence exists on the issue (2). Paramedics have three major needs for a good performance: knowledge, skill for an appropriate clinical decision making, and organizational factors (2).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

First line in psychiatric emergency: Pre-hospital emergency protocol for mental disorders in Iran

Shirzad

Hadi

Mortazavi

et al. 2019

Preprint

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Introduction This article is a report of designing a rapid and effective guide for paramedics who take care of patients in a pre-hospital setting to answer developing demands.Methods The relevant literature was reviewed, and the topics were extracted. Then, the extracted items were discussed in an expert panel. Finally, items were discussed in a meeting including emergency technicians and emergency technical assistants to identify implementation problems.Result Important topics for managing psychiatric patients were categorized at three levels: 1) Patient safety and security issues, 2) Patient status assessment and diagnosis, and 3) Patient management (medical, behavioral management, and referral to a treatment center).Discussion This protocol can be a solution to improve emergency technician training. Such summarized protocols can be used for rapid review immediately before exposure to a patient with an acute psychiatric condition. Due to specific cultural and different access to medicines in Iran, some issues (For instant, access to medications) are different.

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“…Discriminatory attitudes and negative experiences from health-care providers are often quoted by people with mental illness as the reason they discontinue or avoid medical care, even in emergencies (Andrade et al, 2014;Ferguson et al, 2019;Morgan et al, 2016). Multiple studies from the UK (Rees et al, 2018;Rolfe, Pope and Crouch, 2020), the USA (Prener and Lincoln, 2015) and Australia (Emond et al, 2019;Holmes et al, 2017) report that paramedics feel underprepared to care for patients whose primary reason for presenting to EMS was related to mental illness. It remains unclear whether the ability of paramedics to care for and their attitudes towards patients with mental illness is related to the training they receive during their undergraduate degrees.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mental health training for Australian undergraduate paramedic science students: a review

King

Rebar

Oliveri

et al. 2021

JMHTEP

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Purpose This paper aims to present the current state of evidence regarding the mental health literacy of paramedics and student paramedics and whether mental health literacy affects the care that paramedics provide to their patients with mental illness. Design/methodology/approach Embase, PubMed, Medline and Google Scholar were searched for recent (2010–2020) English language published articles using the key phrases paramedic AND/OR ambulance AND mental health AND mental health literacy. Additional searches of the reference lists of included articles were undertaken. A descriptive thematic analysis was used to arrive at a narrative synthesis of the study findings. Findings The emergency medical services system has taken a primary role in the care of patients with mental illness but has limited capacity for non-emergency psychosocial situations. Negative and judgemental attitudes amongst paramedics towards patients with mental illness is a significant issue and remains a barrier to patients seeking medical care for mental illness. Improved care provision and patient engagement might result from specific education aimed to better enhance paramedics’ mental health literacy. Originality/value This literature review provides insights into the current practice of mental health training for Australian undergraduate paramedic science students and the implications for patient care. Recommendations for educational strategies are provided.

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Paramedic management of mental health related presentations: a scoping review

Cited by 26 publications

References 25 publications

Characteristics of Confidence and Preparedness in Paramedics in Metropolitan, Regional, and Rural Australia to Manage Mental-Health-Related Presentations: A Cross-Sectional Study

Characteristics of Confidence and Preparedness in Paramedics in Metropolitan, Regional, and Rural Australia to Manage Mental-Health-Related Presentations: A Cross-Sectional Study

First line in psychiatric emergency: Pre-hospital emergency protocol for mental disorders in Iran

Mental health training for Australian undergraduate paramedic science students: a review

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