Singapore Civil Defence Force Headquarters, 91 Ubi Ave 4, Singapore 408827, Singapore.
Singapore Civil Defence Force Headquarters, 91 Ubi Ave 4, Singapore 408827, Singapore.
Australas Emerg Care. 2021 Sep;24(3):230-234. doi: 10.1016/j.auec.2020.09.001. Epub 2020 Sep 20.
Western studies have highlighted alarmingly high rates of work-related violence experienced by emergency medical services (EMS) staff. As there is a paucity of Asian studies, we aimed to investigate the incidence of physical and verbal violence against the EMS crew in the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).
This was a cross-sectional study, utilising an online survey made available to all active paramedics in the SCDF. Paramedics with at least one year of work experience were eligible to participate. All responses were kept anonymous.
The response rate was 50.9% (n = 246), out of 483 paramedics in service at the time of the study. The respondents consisted of 144 males (58.5%) and 102 females (41.5%). They were between 18 and 55 years old; 160 (65.0%) of them had worked in EMS for less than 6 years. The paramedics experienced high levels of verbal and physical violence, but there was reticence in reporting these incidents. The main risk factor for violence appeared to be alcohol intoxication.
Paramedics may benefit from security escort for clients with history of alcohol intoxication or violence and more teaching on self-defence and soft restraints. Current training and protocols should be revised to meet these needs.
西方研究已经强调了急诊医疗服务（EMS）人员经历的工作相关暴力的惊人高发生率。由于亚洲的研究相对较少，我们旨在调查新加坡民防部队（SCDF）中针对 EMS 工作人员的身体和言语暴力的发生率。
这是一项横断面研究，利用向 SCDF 所有现役护理人员提供的在线调查进行。具有至少一年工作经验的护理人员有资格参加。所有回复均保持匿名。
在研究期间，有 483 名在职护理人员，其中 50.9%（n=246）做出了回应。受访者中包括 144 名男性（58.5%）和 102 名女性（41.5%）。他们的年龄在 18 至 55 岁之间；其中 160 名（65.0%）在 EMS 工作不到 6 年。护理人员经历了高度的言语和身体暴力，但在报告这些事件时存在犹豫。暴力的主要危险因素似乎是酒精中毒。
对于有酒精中毒或暴力史的患者，护理人员可能会受益于安全护送，并且需要更多的自卫和软约束方面的教学。当前的培训和协议应进行修订以满足这些需求。
