Self-determination and capacity to consent: ambulance staff encounters with people living with mental health illness and substance abuse

The purpose of the project is to gain increased knowledge about how ambulance staff behave and act when encountering patients with mental health and/or substance use disorders.

The project is divided into three sub-studies. The aim of sub-study 1 is to investigate how patients with substance use and/or mental health disorders experience encounters with ambulance services. This study will be qualitative, and the method used is thematic analysis.

The aim of sub-study 2 is to gain increased knowledge about how ambulance staff behave and act when encountering patients with substance use and/or mental health disorders, with a focus on the use of force, coercion, and consideration for patients’ right to self-determination.

Enhanced knowledge and understanding could contribute to the development of new procedures, guidelines, routines, and the education of ambulance personnel. In this study, we will do participatory observation of ambulance staff. An observation guide is developed based on findings from sub-study 1.

In sub-study 3, the findings from sub-studies 1 and 2 will be used to generate new research questions that will be tested in a larger sample of ambulance personnel.

Our goal is to collect a minimum of 120 completed responses, which is sufficient for conducting multiple regression analysis with up to six independent variables.