Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 27, 2026
Setting Up a Stroke Team Algorithm and Conducting Simulation-based Training in the Emergency Department - A Practical Guide
Published on: January 15, 2017
Patterns of Primary Care Use and Clinical Assessment Practices Among Treatment-seeking First Responders
R Andrew Yockey1, Jeanine M Galusha, Warren N Ponder
1From the Department of Public Health, University of Mississippi, Oxford, Mississippi (R.A.Y.); Private Practice, Dallas, Texas (J.M.G.); One Tribe Foundation, Euless, Texas (W.N.P.); Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, Texas (J.C., C.R.C.); School of Social Work, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, Texas (D.L.S.).
Objective:
To identify the predictors of suicide for law enforcement officers (LEOs), firefighters (FFs), and emergency medical technicians (EMTs).
Methods:
We used primary care assessments of posttraumatic stress disorder (Primary Care PTSD Screen for DSM-5), generalized anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-2), depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-2), substance use (CAGE Adapted to Include Drugs), resilience (Response to Stressful Experiences Scale-4), and suicidality (Patient Health Questionnaire-Suicidal Ideation). We conducted separate logistic regressions predicting suicide for LEOs and FFs/EMTs.
Results:
Among LEOs, 8% screened positive for suicide, whereas 24% of FFs/EMTs screened positive, respectively. There were no significant predictors of suicide for LEOs. However, for FFs/EMTs, depression was associated with an increase in suicidality, whereas previous mental health treatment was a buffer against it.
Limitations:
These data are cross-sectional and require analysis throughout the course of treatment.
Conclusions:
We demonstrated the utility of using primary care abbreviated assessments for first responders.
Related Concept Videos
01:29Nursing Assessment
The nurse collects all aspects of the patient's health in the initial assessment, establishing priorities for ongoing focused assessments and...
01:15Methods of Documentation VI: Case Management Model
For example, a patient with a chronic illness...
01:30Primary Healthcare Services
In 1978, international leaders convened in Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan, for what would be a pivotal event in global health. The Alma-Ata Declaration was the first to call...
01:30Specialized Care Centers and Settings-II
Rural health centers are specialized care facilities in remote locations with very few medical personnel. The primary care providers who run the centers are mostly Registered Nurse Practitioners. Here, emergency treatment is provided to critically ill or injured patients before they are transferred to the closest hospital. Fortunately, due to advancement in technology, many rural healthcare facilities and professionals have easy access to diagnostic and treatment...
01:11Secondary Healthcare System
01:30Preventive Healthcare Services