ArticleAcademic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine2026
Management of Agitation in Emergency Medical Services for Older Adults: A Qualitative Exploration.
Article in Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Management of Agitation in Emergency Medical Services for Older Adults: A Qualitative Exploration.Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
Abstract
introductionEmergency medical services (EMS) providers are often first responders to agitated older adults, providing critical clinical care and transport. However, significant knowledge gaps persist in our understanding of agitation management for older adults in the prehospital setting.
aimsTo describe the barriers and facilitators to the management of agitation in older adults and the reduction of restraint use by EMS providers.
methodsIn-depth semi-structured qualitative interviews (n = 30) took place with EMS providers employed in Alberta, Canada. The theoretical domains framework (TDF) served as a guiding structure for the development of the interview guide. Framework analysis was used to analyze the qualitative data: a line-by-line thematic analysis was used to identify codes/themes, which were then mapped onto the TDF, and behavior change wheel.
resultsSix major thematic categories were identified. EMS providers reported inadequate training and support, especially for managing agitation in older adult populations. Restraints are used as a safety measure for patient and provider safety, and as a last resort once other agitation management strategies have been exhausted. EMS providers report a complex decision-making matrix of balancing the risks, benefits, and ethical considerations of restraint use, which is often collaborative and integrates EMS protocols. Common barriers to effective agitation management in EMS, as well as non-restraint agitation management techniques are also discussed.
conclusionThe present study is the first in-depth exploration of EMS provider experiences regarding the management of agitation and chemical and physical restraints in older adults.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.