The rate and predictors of violence against EMS personnel

Violence against Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel vary between studies. Current studies are mainly based on self-reporting, thus other designs are needed to provide more perspective. The purpose of this study was to explore the rate and predictors of violent behavior targeted at EMS personnel by exploring the Electronic patient care records (ePCR) documentation by EMS personnel.

This was a retrospective cohort study of EMS patients in Finland. The data were collected from three regions between 1st June and 30th November 2018. Text mining and manual evaluation were used to identify and explore predictors of violence targeted at EMS personnel from the ePCR narratives. Multivariable logistic regressions were used to determine factors that were independently associated with violent behavior. The results are presented with odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

The EMS personnel reported experiences of violence in a total of 297 identified missions (0.7%) of all EMS missions (n = 40,263). The violence was mostly verbal (62.3%) and the most common violence perpetrator was the patient (98.0%). The police were alarmed to many missions where violence was reported (40.7%). Sometimes violence occurred suddenly although the police were present. The multivariable logistic regression model indicates that violence occurred typically in urban areas (OR 1.699; 95% CI 1.283 to 2.248), at weekend nights (OR 1.357; 95% CI 1.043 to 1.765), by male (OR 1.501; 95% CI 1.160 to 1.942), and patients influenced by alcohol (OR 3.464; 95% CI 2.644 to 4.538). A NEWS2 score of 3 in any parameter (vs. score 0-4, OR 2.386; 95% CI: 1.788 to 3.185) and ALS unit type (vs. BLS, OR 1.373; 95% CI: 1.009 to 1.866) increased the likelihood as well.

The documentation in ePCRs show low rates of violence targeted at EMS personnel. However, violence is a multidimensional phenomenon connected to unfamiliar patients, rushed situations, and an uncontrolled environment. This means that the EMS personnels' safety cannot be ensured in all situations. Therefore, a balance between safety margins and treating patients needs to be considered.