Study on Post Traumatic Stress among EMS Personnel

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TORONTO, ON - The Tema Conter Memorial Trust announced the funding of a new research study on the prevention and management of post-traumatic disorder (PTSD) among Emergency Medical Service (EMS) personnel. The study will be conducted by researchers from Mount Sinai Hospital, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Sunnybrook and Women's College Hospital and Ryerson University. Due to the nature of their work, EMS personnel are exposed to emotionally traumatic situations every day. They often witness violent, tragic and gruesome situations that put them at risk of experiencing PTSD at two to three times higher than that of the general population. "Although many EMS organizations provide psychological debriefing such as critical incident stress debriefing (CISD) immediately after a traumatic event, research indicates that this type of approach may not only be ineffective," says one of the principal investigators Dr. Janice Halpern, of Mount Sinai Hospital, "but may also actually increase the risk of developing PTSD." By interviewing Toronto EMS personnel to learn first hand their experiences and needs, the researchers hope to gain information that will lead to a new form of intervention that ultimately reduces stress and psychological disorders among paramedics.

For more information www.tema.ca (http://www.tema.ca/)

Source: newswire.ca (http://www.firehall.com/refer.php?url=http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/December2004/16/c6197.html&linkid=1229&parent=news(headlines)&)