Pediatric Behavioral Health-Related EMS Encounters: A Statewide Analysis

Pediatric behavioral health disorders and related emergency department visits are increasing, but effects on emergency medical services (EMS) are unknown. This study's objective was to describe the statewide epidemiology of pediatric behavioral health-related EMS encounters in Florida, including mental health and substance use. This analysis is a retrospective study of pediatric behavioral health-related EMS encounters from Florida's statewide EMS Tracking and Reporting Systems Database from 2011 to 2016. Demographic, clinical, EMS, and geographic characteristics are described. We also compared characteristics between patients who did and did not receive an acute EMS behavioral/psychiatric intervention. There were 22,254 pediatric behavioral health-related EMS encounters during the study period, one-quarter of which were noted to have suspected or confirmed ingestion/substance use. The median age was 16 and the majority of patients were female and white. A total of 946 patients (4%) had an acute EMS behavioral/psychiatric intervention. EMS scene, ED turnaround, and total EMS time were significantly longer for intervention patients. Of the 14 counties in the top quartile of percentages of intervention patients, 7 were rural, 10 did not have any hospitals with child/adolescent psychiatric services, and 7 did not have any child psychiatrists. Pediatric behavioral-health related EMS encounters had a significant proportion of suspected ingestions/substance use, and we found disproportionate effects on rural agencies. Increases in EMS resource utilization (including longer EMS times) occurred in certain settings with limited behavioral health infrastructure. Those findings suggest an opportunity for community paramedicine to alleviate EMS utilization and decrease the frequency of pediatric behavioral health emergencies.