Turku, Finland — A recent study suggests that emergency paramedics face significant risks of violence, particularly under certain circumstances. The findings, resulting from a two-year collaboration between Turku University of Applied Sciences, the Southwest Finland Emergency Department, and the University of Turku, reveal that the likelihood of encountering violence rises notably on weekend nights, in urban locations, and among intoxicated male patients.
The researchers categorized violent incidents into three types: physical, verbal, and sexual. They reported that paramedics experience violence at a rate of 0.7 incidents per 100 emergency calls. While Jani Paulin, a senior lecturer at Turku University of Applied Sciences, acknowledged that not every incident is reported, he emphasized that these figures still indicate a concerning trend.
Alcohol consumption emerged as a crucial factor in many of these encounters, with over 30 percent of violent incidents involving intoxicated individuals. The majority of assaults were carried out by patients, though family members or bystanders have also been known to attack paramedics. The most frequent setting for these acts of violence is the patient’s residence, although incidents occur in ambulances, care facilities, and various public venues.
Pauline points out that existing police resources are limited, leaving paramedics ill-equipped to handle threatening situations effectively. The study advocates for improved organizational support, clearer protocol development, and proactive risk assessments to enhance paramedic safety.
In an overview of emergency services’ workload, Finland’s Emergency Response Centre Agency reported a noteworthy decrease in the total number of calls last year, falling to 2.7 million— the lowest total in nearly 20 years. Despite this decline, the agency observed a slight increase in the proportion of cases requiring assistance from authorities, suggesting that while overall call volume may have dipped, the complexity of emergencies is evolving.
These calls are typically answered swiftly, averaging six seconds, with nearly half being routed to relevant services. Approximately 700,000 of these calls went specifically to emergency medical services, while just over a third were forwarded to the police. A smaller percentage, around seven percent, required intervention from social services or crisis response teams.
In addition, the agency has noted a rising number of emergency calls made in languages other than Finnish, which has led to an increased need for interpreters. The urgency for linguistic assistance has surged, in part due to conflicts such as the war in Ukraine, which resulted in 595 emergency calls being made in Ukrainian last year alone. Overall, a total of 1,844 calls required interpretation in more than 40 different languages, with Russian, Ukrainian, and Arabic being the most frequently encountered languages.
These findings highlight the essential need for enhanced support for paramedics, as they navigate both the threats posed by violent encounters and the complexities of responding to a diverse population requiring emergency assistance.