Traumatic Injury Psychology

[JJR512]

I am currently in a Introduction to Psychology class at college; it's a prerequisite for the Paramedic program I hope to start next semester. The class project is to be a research paper on a topic in psychology, a topic that is interesting to myself personally.

I am considering doing something about the psychological issues a traumatically injurred patient experiences, along with what, if anything, the emergency caregiver can do to help the patient with those issues. I believe this topic is particularly relevant to myself, because I intend to become a Flight Paramedic, and as such, will be dealing pretty much exclusively with pretty nasty injurries.

When a person is physically traumatized, I'm sure he or she must also be emotionally traumatized. It may not exactly be within the scope of practice for a Flight Paramedic to deal with psychological issues, but as EMS workers, we need to know how to talk with people, we need to know how to calm them down, so that is where the psychological involvement comes in.

So, I'd like to hear your comments. You can tell me that you think this is a good topic or not a good topic, or you can tell me about some of the psychology you've had to use in the field, or you can tell me anything else you feel is important for me to know regarding this.

 

[fm_emt]

I think that it's a great topic idea, but I have always thought that reassuring patients & calming them down was definitely within our scope of practice.


ps: check your mailbox yet?

 

[Guardian]

I am currently in a Introduction to Psychology class at college; it's a prerequisite for the Paramedic program I hope to start next semester. The class project is to be a research paper on a topic in psychology, a topic that is interesting to myself personally.

I am considering doing something about the psychological issues a traumatically injurred patient experiences, along with what, if anything, the emergency caregiver can do to help the patient with those issues. I believe this topic is particularly relevant to myself, because I intend to become a Flight Paramedic, and as such, will be dealing pretty much exclusively with pretty nasty injurries.

When a person is physically traumatized, I'm sure he or she must also be emotionally traumatized. It may not exactly be within the scope of practice for a Flight Paramedic to deal with psychological issues, but as EMS workers, we need to know how to talk with people, we need to know how to calm them down, so that is where the psychological involvement comes in.

So, I'd like to hear your comments. You can tell me that you think this is a good topic or not a good topic, or you can tell me about some of the psychology you've had to use in the field, or you can tell me anything else you feel is important for me to know regarding this.

It absolutely is within our scope to deal with psychological issues, hence the chapter called psychiatric and behavioral disorders you'll find in every paramedic textbook. There are tons of ems psych issues to write about. I personally think PTSD is a little overdone at this point. I would explore other issues.

 

[gradygirl]

Hey, that sounds like a great topic. I have found that so many EMS workers I know are hesitant to do anything with psych patients other than treat the injuries that they forget that it's not just injuries they are treating, but rather a person that they are treating. Some topics you could write about (on the patient's end) might be the psychology of the injury, the psychology of survival instincts and physical stressors, the psychology of trust when patients are being treated by complete strangers, things like this. In terms of our end of psychology, there are different ways by which you must treat your patient depending on their physical and mental states. Writing about the use of trust and calming tactics, as well as using some means of relating with the patient on a base or everyday level, would be great.

Good luck and tell us what you end up doing.

 

[Stevo]

I've told a number of patients not to look at their injuries, or tried to distract them by asking the meds / als /hx q's

of note is, the patient can feed off our reactions as well, i've found that it helps to tone down our intital response, or at least be calm about it

also, i can recall a number of calls where the uninjured significant other viewing the incident , or the opposing party at a car wreck, needed to be transported due to pyscogenic shock


finally, i've witnessed amazing strength from injured parents in the presence of their injured children, i can't explain it . but would sure like to bottle it....it is truely mind over matter imho

~S~

 

[JJR512]

It absolutely is within our scope to deal with psychological issues, hence the chapter called psychiatric and behavioral disorders you'll find in every paramedic textbook. There are tons of ems psych issues to write about. I personally think PTSD is a little overdone at this point. I would explore other issues.

Please understand I'm not talking about dealing with psychiatric or behavioral disorders. I'm talking about dealing with a traumatically injurred patient; more specifically, about whatever emotional distress an injurred patient suffers. What are they thinking and feeling? How do we deal with that? Can we deal with it, or should we even try, given the limited amount of time we have with the patient, and the other demands sure to be on our attention?

 

[islandgal]

Hey JJR512-

You probably already are off on your paper, I didn't see this post until now. I think the concept is interesting although I feel most people with major trauma emotionally shut down. It's fight or flight time. Calm reassurance helps (I feel). It's the after effects that will linger with them. PTSD, phobias, panic attacks, dealing with disabilities, stress. Anyway, being in the EMS field you have a perspective many don't.
What did you decide for your paper?