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Mental health (patients)
Paramedics underconfident with alcohol-related call-outs
Paramedics' perceptions of patients who use alcohol
Journal of Paramedic Practice · 2026-10-02 · Added 30 September 2026
A narrative review of paramedics' perceptions of patients who use alcohol found five themes — workload, impact, training, confidence and attitudes — with confidence dropping beyond basic conversations and attitudes often negative due to limited training and resources.
- Study type
- Other
- Design
- Narrative literature review
- Participants
- Not reported (review of published literature)
- Main finding
- Five themes emerged: workload, significance, training, confidence/adequacy and attitudes, with mixed views on role legitimacy and often negative attitudes shaped by limited training
- Caveat
- Narrative review without systematic search or quality appraisal of included studies
- Bottom line
- Context only
Why it matters in Australia (Medium relevance). UK-based literature, but alcohol-related call-outs and referral pathway gaps are the same pressure points in Australian services, making the training and pathway findings broadly applicable.
Learning goal
Understand how limited training and role legitimacy shape my attitudes towards patients presenting with alcohol-related issues.
More
- Topic: Mental health (patients)
- Daily scan: 30 September 2026
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