Prospective field study of violence in emergency medical services calls

Annals of Emergency Medicine
E F MockC M Slovis

Abstract

To investigate the nature and frequency of violence encountered by EMS personnel. We conducted a prospective, observational case-series study of a city-county EMS system serving a population of 500,000. We analyzed 297 EMS runs over 737 hours of observation. The Overt Aggression Scale (OAS) was used to assess each violent episode. There were 239 (81%) nonviolent runs, 16 (5%) violent runs, and 42 (14%) violent runs that occurred after a violent episode had taken place (postviolent runs). This was a frequency of one violent episode for every four 12-hour shifts, or for every 19 runs. The violent behaviors included verbal aggression solely in 50% (n = 8), physical aggression solely in 13% (n = 2), and both verbal and physical aggression in 38% (n = 6). One episode involved an unsecured weapon. These data indicate that violent situations occur in 5% of calls in this EMS system. The fact that an additional 14% of calls are precipitated by the results of violence may influence perceptions by EMS personnel of danger and frequency of exposure to unstable situations. Exposure to violence is underreported in our EMS documentation.

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Citations

Jul 28, 2005·Annals of Emergency Medicine·Terry KowalenkoUNKNOWN Michigan College of Emergency Physicians Workplace Violence Task Force
May 8, 2007·Academic Emergency Medicine : Official Journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine·Darryl MaciasUNKNOWN VAPERS Study Group
May 7, 2008·Primary Care Companion to the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry·Leslie S Zun, La Vonne A Downey
Feb 3, 2016·Prehospital Emergency Care : Official Journal of the National Association of EMS Physicians and the National Association of State EMS Directors·Mirinda A GormleyRoger Levine
Jun 16, 2012·The Journal of Emergency Medicine·Leslie S Zun
Nov 1, 2011·The Journal of Emergency Medicine·Steve WeissMicha Campbell
Sep 28, 2015·Work : a Journal of Prevention, Assessment, and Rehabilitation·Jonathan DropkinHyun Kim
Dec 2, 2011·Prehospital Emergency Care : Official Journal of the National Association of EMS Physicians and the National Association of State EMS Directors·Laura J EliseoWilliam G Fernandez
May 17, 2014·Prehospital Emergency Care : Official Journal of the National Association of EMS Physicians and the National Association of State EMS Directors·Blair L BighamGlenn Munro
Jun 28, 2008·Prehospital Emergency Care : Official Journal of the National Association of EMS Physicians and the National Association of State EMS Directors·Micha CampbellAmy Ernst
Apr 10, 2010·Prehospital Emergency Care : Official Journal of the National Association of EMS Physicians and the National Association of State EMS Directors·Matthew GrattonJason Shearer
Aug 6, 2011·American Journal of Medical Quality : the Official Journal of the American College of Medical Quality·P Daniel PattersonJudith Lave
Mar 15, 2006·Prehospital Emergency Care : Official Journal of the National Association of EMS Physicians and the National Association of State EMS Directors·Paul R CheneyDavid Sklar
May 12, 2016·Archives of Trauma Research·Majid PourshaikhianAhmad Barati
Dec 17, 2019·New Solutions : a Journal of Environmental and Occupational Health Policy : NS·Regan M MurrayJennifer A Taylor
May 15, 2010·Prehospital and Disaster Medicine·Daniel KollekKaren Wanger
Nov 3, 2005·Prehospital Emergency Care : Official Journal of the National Association of EMS Physicians and the National Association of State EMS Directors·Brian J MaguireGordon S Smith
Dec 14, 2011·Emergency Medicine Australasia : EMA·Leonie A CalverGeoffrey K Isbister
Nov 26, 2009·Emergency Medicine Clinics of North America·Victoria A Coburn, Mark B Mycyk

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