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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: nicole.mckenzie@utoledo.edu)
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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.

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References

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