Paramedic Willingness to Report Violence Following the Introduction of a Novel, Point-of-Event Reporting Process in a Single Canadian Paramedic Service
Abstract
:1. Introduction
1.1. Violence against Paramedics
1.1.1. A ‘Vastly Underreported’ Problem
1.1.2. The Role of Organizational Culture
1.1.3. The External Violence Incident Report
“It may be helpful for incident report forms to be designed specifically for reporting exposures to violence, and reporting may be more accepted if paramedics are involved with designing the reporting process”(p. 493)
2. Methods
2.1. Study Design
2.2. Setting and Context
2.3. Data Collection
2.4. Data Analysis
3. Results
3.1. Response Rate and Participant Characteristics
3.2. Exposure to Violence and Willingness to Report
3.3. Thematic Analysis Overview
3.4. Motivators and Enablers of Reporting
“The form was short and easy to fill out, and I like the idea that my report can make a tangible difference for the experience of other paramedics”. “It was simple and straightforward”.
“I just felt justified and validated in filing a report and (it) normalized (me) feeling angry at what happened. It was a healthy way to share my story, even if it was just on paper”.
“Wanting the data to help promote action to address violence against paramedics and have hazard flags (i.e., on the patient’s address) to mitigate violence against other responders”.
“I truly believe this program makes a difference. Getting more data (from reports) will help you solidify the program”.
3.5. Potentially Influential Modifiers
“Most (of the incidents) were people with legitimate medical issues”. “Verbal abuse I do not always report”. “The patient did not intend to be violent, (their behavior) was caused by (a) mental health issue”. “It was just verbal abuse from impaired individuals”.
“Sometimes I was forced not to (file a report) because my partner was against it or they thought the report would reflect badly on them”.
“Support from coworkers and supervisors”. “Supervisor recommendation on scene”. “Supervisor support. Knowing (the report) will be flagged and lower the risk of a different paramedic experiencing violence with this individual”.
“I understand the value of reporting to support change within the profession. Even if not impacted myself, I (file reports) to keep my co-workers safe. I see the efforts of the service to address violence and appreciate them. Reporting is me doing my part”.
4. Discussion
Limitations
5. Conclusions
Supplementary Materials
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Parameter | N | % | Experienced Violence (N [%]) | Reported at Least Sometimes (N [%]) | Did Not Report (N [%]) | p-Value |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gender | 0.093 | |||||
Men | 110 | 53.9% | 72 (65.4%) | 58 (80.5%) | 14 (19.4%) | |
Women | 86 | 42.1% | 61 (70.9%) | 54 (88.5%) | 7 (11.4%) | |
Other * | 8 | 3.9% | 4 (50%) | 2 (50%) | 2 (50%) | |
Clinical Certification | 0.097 | |||||
Primary Care | 143 | 70.4% | 93 (65%) | 74 (79.5%) | 19 (20.4%) | |
Advanced Care | 60 | 20.5% | 44 (73.3%) | 40 (90.9%) | 4 (9%) | |
Missing | 1 | |||||
Experience | 0.220 | |||||
New (<1 year) | 18 | 8.8% | 9 (50%) | 6 (66.6%) | 3 (33.3%) | |
Early Career (1–4 years) | 66 | 32.5% | 47 (71.2%) | 37 (78.7%) | 10 (21.2%) | |
Mid-Career (5–15 years) | 74 | 36.4% | 53 (71.6%) | 45 (84.9%) | 8 (15%) | |
Senior (>15 years) | 45 | 22.1% | 28 (62.2%) | 26 (92.8%) | 2 (7.1%) | |
Missing | 1 | |||||
Employment | 0.025 | |||||
Part-Time | 82 | 40.5% | 49 (59.7%) | 36 (73.4%) | 13 (26.5) | |
Full-Time | 120 | 59.4% | 87 (72.5%) | 77 (88.5%) | 10 (11.4%) | |
Missing | 2 |
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Mausz, J.; Braaksma, M.-J.; Johnston, M.; Batt, A.M.; Donnelly, E.A. Paramedic Willingness to Report Violence Following the Introduction of a Novel, Point-of-Event Reporting Process in a Single Canadian Paramedic Service. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2024, 21, 363. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21030363
Mausz J, Braaksma M-J, Johnston M, Batt AM, Donnelly EA. Paramedic Willingness to Report Violence Following the Introduction of a Novel, Point-of-Event Reporting Process in a Single Canadian Paramedic Service. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2024; 21(3):363. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21030363
Chicago/Turabian StyleMausz, Justin, Michael-Jon Braaksma, Mandy Johnston, Alan M. Batt, and Elizabeth A. Donnelly. 2024. "Paramedic Willingness to Report Violence Following the Introduction of a Novel, Point-of-Event Reporting Process in a Single Canadian Paramedic Service" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 21, no. 3: 363. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21030363