Critical incident stress in prehospital emergency care.

In addition to the routine pressures associated with their demanding roles, prehospital emergency responders can suffer severe stress as a result of exposure to a critical incident. Such an event overwhelms the individual's ability to emotionally adjust, and can lead to symptoms which cause suffering in emergency personnel, their families and their patients. A Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) Team has been established in southern West Virginia to address this occupational hazard. This group was formed as a cooperative arrangement between the Charleston Division of the West Virginia University Health Sciences Center and emergency personnel in the Greater Kanawaha Valley. This article offers an explanation of the team's functioning and specific information regarding its activation.