Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-q99xh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-25T08:24:32.806Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Active Shooter: What Would Health Care Students Do While Caring for Their Patients? Run? Hide? Or Fight?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 July 2019

Nicole McKenzie Open the ORCID record for Nicole McKenzie [Opens in a new window] ,
Carolina Wishner ,
Martha Sexton ,
Danielle Saevig ,
Brian Fink  and
Paul Rega
Nicole McKenzie*
Affiliation:
School of Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Toledo, Ohio
Carolina Wishner
Affiliation:
College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Physician Assistant Studies, The University of Toledo, Ohio
Martha Sexton
Affiliation:
College of Nursing, The University of Toledo, Ohio
Danielle Saevig
Affiliation:
College of Medicine and Life Sciences, The University of Toledo, Ohio
Brian Fink
Affiliation:
School of Population Health, The University of Toledo, Ohio
Paul Rega
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, The University of Toledo, Ohio
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to Nicole McKenzie, College of Health and Human Services, The University of Toledo, Mail Stop 119, 2801 West Bancroft Street, Toledo, OH 43606 (e-mail: [email protected])
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Objective:

The aim of this study was to explore the clinical decisions that health care students would make if faced with an active shooter event while providing patient care.

Methods:

A cross-sectional study design was used to survey 245 students from 6 different professional programs. Participants read 4 case-based scenarios, selected 1 of 4 actions in a multiple-choice format, and responded to an open-ended question. Demographic questions asked whether participants had been a victim of violence and whether they have taken a certified active shooter course. Statistical analysis included descriptive statistics and chi-square testing.

Results:

For each case, most students chose “patient-centric” versus “provider-centric” actions (range: 66%–94% and 4%–17%, respectively). The gender of the patient made no difference in actions. Those who attended a certified active shooter course tended to act with more “provider-centric” concerns than those who did not take such a course.

Conclusion:

A significant majority of interprofessional health care students, when presented with specific case-scenarios, declared they would act to protect themselves and their patients during an active shooter event. This “patient-centric” attitude transcends the oversimplified “Run-Hide-Fight” axiom and must be addressed by all health care educational institutions.

Keywords

emergency preparednessmass casualty incidentssurvivalviolenceweapons
Type
Brief Report
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 14 , Issue 2 , April 2020 , pp. 173 - 177
Copyright
© 2019 Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc.

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Jacobs, LM, Burns, KJ. The Harford Consensus. Survey of the public and healthcare professionals on active shooter events in hospitals. J Am Coll Surg. 2017;225(3):435–442.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response. Incorporating active shooter incident planning into health care facility emergency operations plans, Washington, DC: HHS; 2014.Google Scholar
Enaba, K, Eastman, J, Jacobs, L, et al.Active-shooter response at a health care facility. N Engl J Med. 2018;379(6):583–586.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Warren, B, Bosse, M, Tornetta, P, III. Workplace violence and active shooter considerations for health-care workers: AOA critical issues. JBJS. 2017;99(16):e88.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bell, MA, Dake, JA, Price, JH, et al.A national survey of emergency nurses and the avian influenza threat. J Emerg Nurs. 2014;40(3):212–217.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Iserson, KV, Heine, CE, Larkin, GL, et al.Fight or flight: the ethics of emergency physician disaster response. Ann Emerg Med. 2008;51:345–353.Google ScholarPubMed
Simonds, AK, Sohol, DK.Lives on the line? Ethics and practicalities of duty of care in pandemics and disasters. Eur Respir J. 2009;34:303–309.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Silva, DS, Gibson, JL, Robertson, A, et al. Priority setting of ICU resources in an influenza pandemic: a qualitative study of the Canadian public’s perspectives. BMC Public Health. 2012;12:241.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rega, PP.The ethics of disasters. In: Marco, C, Shears, RM, eds. Ethical Dilemmas in Emergency Medicine. 1st ed. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press; 2015.Google Scholar
Benedek, DM, Fullerton, C, Ursano, RJ.First responders: mental health consequences of natural and human-made disasters for public health and public safety workers. Annu Rev Public Health. 2007;28:55–68.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed