University of New England, Armidale, Australia.
Manna Institute, University of New England, Armidale, Australia.
Int J Ment Health Nurs. 2024 Dec;33(6):1817-1839. doi: 10.1111/inm.13397. Epub 2024 Aug 1.
Exposure to traumatic and/or violent events is an inherent part of the first responder role, which increases the risk of developing acute and chronic mental health symptoms and conditions. Suicidality for Australian first responders have recently increased with prevalence considered much higher compared with the general population. To inform specific recommendations for Australian first responders, there is a need to establish what evidence is available regarding these issues within the Australian context. The aim of this scoping review was to explore the impacts of trauma on the mental health of Australian first responders, the strategies recommended to address these issues and any unique needs in rural contexts. A scoping review was undertaken following PRISMA guidelines for scoping reviews. Peer-reviewed articles on Australian first responder mental health from seven databases were screened for inclusion. This review highlights that despite available evidence on the types of traumas and adverse mental health outcomes experienced, less evidence exists pertaining to intervention effectiveness. There are major gaps in evidence within rural and remote contexts which hinders effective planning and delivery of support for rural and regional first responders. Clinicians such as mental health nurses, particularly in rural areas, need to be aware of these gaps which impact planning and delivery of support and are in prime position to ensure screening, interventions and strategies are used and evaluated to determine their suitability for rural first responders.
暴露于创伤性和/或暴力事件是急救人员角色的固有部分，这增加了出现急性和慢性心理健康症状和疾病的风险。澳大利亚急救人员的自杀率最近有所上升，其流行率被认为远高于普通人群。为了为澳大利亚急救人员提供具体建议，需要在澳大利亚背景下确定有关这些问题的现有证据。本范围综述的目的是探讨创伤对澳大利亚急救人员心理健康的影响、建议用于解决这些问题的策略以及农村环境中的任何特殊需求。本范围综述遵循 PRISMA 范围综述指南进行。从七个数据库中筛选出关于澳大利亚急救人员心理健康的同行评审文章，以确定其是否符合纳入标准。这篇综述强调，尽管有关于所经历的创伤类型和不良心理健康结果的可用证据，但关于干预效果的证据较少。农村和偏远地区的证据存在重大空白，这阻碍了为农村和地区急救人员提供有效支持的规划和实施。临床医生，如精神科护士，特别是在农村地区，需要了解这些影响支持规划和实施的差距，并处于确保使用和评估筛查、干预和策略的最佳位置，以确定它们是否适合农村急救人员。
