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Subject Area
Ensuring personnel and patient safety
Focus
Effective communication skills
Simulation Title
Managing an agitated patient at a busy Accident and Emergency (A&E) department
Introduction Theoretical Background Exercises Videos Role-play Cards Facilitator's Notes Extra Resources
Learning Aim

Enabling paramedics to ensure own and patient safety while effectively managing agitated patients.

Learning Objectives
  1. using communication strategies for de-escalating an agitated patient,
  2. organising teamwork in challenging situations,
  3. showing empathy in addressing patient needs,
  4. demonstrating the importance of senior mentorship in developing junior staff’s confidence and skills.
Simulation Scenario

Characters

Agitated patient: A 25-year-old man

Paramedic 1: Senior paramedic, skilled in de-escalation techniques

Paramedic 2: Junior paramedic, observing and assisting the senior paramedic

(optional) Students creating busy environment: making calls, talking, asking questions, etc.

Background and setting

You have responded to an emergency call from a man, who had hurt his hand. You bring the patient to A&E.

The A&E department is busy. All chairs in the waiting room are taken, medical staff are moving quickly to the background of the constant hum from monitors, multiple calls coming in over the radio, constant radio chatter.

Another patient begins to raise his voice, expressing his dissatisfaction and making it clear that he feels neglected due to the delay in treatment. He approaches the desk and starts throwing things off the desk.