“Complexity, safety and challenges: Emergency responders' experience of people affected by methamphetamines”

Abstract

Providing care to methamphetamine-related callout events in the prehospital environment is often complex and resource-intensive, requiring staff to manage agitation and violence-related side effects of methamphetamines. In Australia, emergency responders are increasingly required to attend events related to methamphetamines, even though reports suggest methamphetamine use across Australia has declined.The aim of the study was to explore Australian police and paramedic experiences attending methamphetamine-related events. A qualitative descriptive phenomenology design was employed using semi-structured interviews with employed police (10) and paramedics (8) from Australia. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis.Participants described the complexities associated with providing prehospital care to people affected by methamphetamines. Participants described associated domestic/ family violence, increased levels of violence, challenges with communication, and responder emotional and psychological distress and physical injury. Violence associated with methamphetamine use is a critical factor in prehospital care. Workplace violence and family/domestic violence are important issues that require further research to ensure families and staff are well supported and have the services they need to continue responding to people affected by methamphetamine use.

Polysubstance use and lived experience: new insights into what is needed

“…Interacting with and providing services to clients engaged in polysubstance use can make peer work more challenging. Particularly with the resurgence of methamphetamine use, violence is a greater concern in healthcare settings, and more so in field-based outreach [26]. People with past histories of trauma may be susceptible to negative emotional reactions after occupational exposure of further trauma, including through peer support work [27].…”

First responder mental health, traumatic events and rural and remote experience

“…Perpetrators of violence included patients, patients' family members and bystanders (Murray et al, 2020). Dangerous situations involving violence can be traumatic resulting in psychological and emotional distress (Jones et al, 2022), and increased severity of the traumatic events are linked to increased rates of PTSD (Jones, 2017). Additionally, repeated exposure to traumatic events (medical and/or violence related) also increased the likelihood of developing PTSD (Petrie et al, 2018).…”

“…First responders (another term for emergency service professionals) refers to personnel that respond to traumatic and life‐threatening incidents in the pre‐hospital/community setting and include paramedics (ambulance officers, emergency medical technician [EMT]/medic), police officers and firefighters (Jones et al, 2022). First responders are often called to respond to situations that are high risk, traumatic and complex; these situations have the potential to endanger the personal safety of the responder and impact their mental health (Jones et al, 2022; Lee et al, 2022). Situations first responders are often called to can include unpredictable, violent or complex situations, situations involving biohazardous agents or contagions, responding to large scale disasters and unstable environments (e.g.…”

“…Situations first responders are often called to can include unpredictable, violent or complex situations, situations involving biohazardous agents or contagions, responding to large scale disasters and unstable environments (e.g. hurricanes, bush fires, floods), responding to life‐threatening situations, accidents involving deaths and situations that are traumatic, emotional and involve human suffering (Jones et al, 2022; Lee et al, 2022). It is known that health workers can experience intense emotions and ongoing distress in the aftermath of such events (Buhlmann et al, 2022).…”

“…Individual factors include previous experience with trauma, resilience skills, personality and family support (Roberts et al, 2021). The nature of the work includes day‐to‐day tasks such as responding to complex violent situations, traumatic events, callouts during pandemics and large‐scale disasters, and dangerous violent situation that place first responder's safety at risk (Gray & Collie, 2017 Jones et al, 2022; Lee et al, 2022), shift work, unpredictable hours and fatigue, all of which increase the risk of developing a mental illness and PTSD (Petrie et al, 2018).…”