Trade Publication Article

MINDING THE MIND OF EMS, PART 3

Pepe, Paul E, Maloney, Lauren M, Doerries, Bryan L, Crowe, Remle P, Schneider, Sandra M, Antevy, Peter M, Colwell, Christopher B, Anderson, Stephen H, Hoffman, Jason

2021

Overview

By having trained bystanders helping set the tone and de-escalate incidents prior to arrival, there was a better sense of teamwork with loved ones and bystanders. [...]they felt renewed that EMS professionals were being provided with better insight and comfort levels when dealing with the disturbing challenges of managing mental health crisis incidents. READY was deemed to be highly effective and honored with the Innovation in Suicide Prevention Award by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and American College of Emergency Physicians.5 Online and Theatrical Readings Numerous professional societies ranging from the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT) and International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) to the National Association of EMS Physicians (NAEMSP) and American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) have developed a myriad of online and print resources that address mental well-being for their members. [...]Theater of War Frontline uses scenes from ancient Greek plays to engage EMS professionals in crucial dialogue about difficult subjects and discomforting experiences.7,8 The dramatic readings of scenes from Sophocles' Ajax, Philoctetes, and Women of Trachis-ancient plays depicting the struggles of chronically and terminally ill patients and conflicted caregivers-have served as an effective point of departure for guided conversations, generating a shared vocabulary for discussing themes such as personal risk, deviations from standards of care, abandonment, betrayal, isolation, and deferred grief.9 Participants are not asked to narrate their own struggles or share anything they feel uncomfortable discussing, but rather to offer their own reactions and interpretations of the ancient plays. ABOUT THE AUTHORS Lauren M. Maloney, MD, NRP, FP-C, NCEE, is assistant professor of emergency medicine at Stony Brook University Hospital, Stony Brook, N.Y. Jason Hoffman, BS, NRP, CCEMT-P, is a paramedic supervisor at Stony Brook University Hospital, Stony Brook, N.Y. Paul E. Pepe, MD, MPH, is coordinator of the Metropolitan EMS Medical Directors (aka \"Eagles\") Global Alliance, Dallas, Tex.

• Publisher: HMP Communications
• Subject: Awards & honors / Coping / Coronaviruses / COVID-19 / Dramatic readings / Emergency medical care / Greek civilization / Hospitals / Mental health / Moral injury / Pandemics / Pediatrics / Professionals / Stress / Theater / Tragedies / Trauma