LM - Oct. 13 PM Behavioral Health - 2 Credit Hours
October 13, 2022
The focus of this class is to rule out organic causes of abnormal behavior before coming to the conclusion that the patient has a mental illness. It covers the assessment, interview, and scene safety components needed to provide the best care in an often difficult situation.
Target Audience
EMS Providers under Dr. Branney and Dr. Eby.
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this chapter, the paramedic student will be able to:
1. Explain what constitutes a behavioral emergency.
2. Identify potential causes for behavioral and psychiatric illness.
3. List three critical principles that should be considered in the prehospital care of a patient with a behavioral emergency.
4. Outline key elements of the prehospital patient examination during a behavioral emergency.
5. Describe effective techniques for interviewing a patient during a behavioral emergency.
6. Differentiate key symptoms and management techniques for selected behavioral and psychiatric disorders.
7. Identify factors the paramedic must consider when assessing a suicide risk.
8. Formulate appropriate interview questions for determining suicidal intent.
10. Describe the assessment of a potentially violent patient.
11. Outline measures that may be used to try to safely diffuse a potentially violent patient situation.
12. List situations in which patient restraint can be used.
13. Discuss the key principles of patient restraint.
14. Describe safety measures that should be taken when patient violence is anticipated.
Arthur "Lee" Meyer
Dr. Scott Branney
Dr. Gene Eby
EMS Continuing Education approved by the State of Colorado through Centura Health Prehospital Services Training Center and Group # CO 039 (SAH), #CO 040 (PSF) and #CO 065 (SDG)
Available Credit
- 2.00 Medical
- 2.00 NCCP-Medical: Psychiatric and Behavioral Emergencies