Advanced paramedics' restraint decision-making when managing acute behavioural disturbance (ABD) in the UK pre-hospital ambulance setting: A qualitative investigation.

ABSTRACT: Acute behavioural disturbance (ABD), sometimes called 'excited delirium', is a medical emergency. In the UK, some patients presenting with ABD are managed by advanced paramedics (APs), however little is known about how APs make restraint decisions. The aim of this research is to explore the decisions made by APs when managing restraint in the context of ABD, in the UK pre-hospital ambulance setting. Seven semi-structured interviews were undertaken with APs. All participants were experienced APs with post-registration, post-graduate advanced practice education and qualifications. The resulting data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis, informed by critical realism. We identified four interconnected themes from the interview data. Firstly, managing complexity and ambiguity in rela

SUBMITTER: Lindridge J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11098407 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature