Paramedic management of patients with mental health issues: a scoping review

Abstract

Background: Since the COVID-19 pandemic and the introduction of the National Partnership Agreement: Right Care, Right Person in the UK, paramedics spend about 1.8 million hours per year managing people with mental health issues. The UK health service needs to address the urgent training requirements for paramedics to provide mental healthcare in emergency care provision. Aims: To identify and examine current research on how paramedics manage people with mental health issues. Methods: A scoping review was carried out using the five stages of Arksey and O'Malley's framework. A research question—’How do paramedics manage patients with mental health issues?’—was developed, databases searched, studies identified and data charted, summarised and reported. Findings: Fifteen papers were included, and five themes identified: perceptions and expectations; call triage and inter-service collaboration; communication skills; lack of education and training; and assessment and evidence-based interventions. Conclusions: There is global evidence of the deficiencies in paramedic education around mental health presentation and a need for evidence-based education and interventions to improve patient outcomes.