Standing
Graduate (Masters)
Type of Proposal
Poster Presentation
Challenges Theme
Building Viable, Healthy and Safe Communities
Your Location
Windsor, Ontario
Faculty
Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Faculty Sponsor
Dr. Elizabeth Donnelly
Proposal
Introduction: Human trafficking (HT) affects approximately 21 million victims, representing a serious public health concern exacerbated by missed intervention opportunities. Targeted training has previously resulted in increased victim identification. While intervention with hospital staff increased HT awareness, less is known about prehospital personnel, specifically emergency medical services (EMS) personnel. This gap is problematic, as EMS personnel are uniquely positioned to conduct patient and environmental assessments that provide critical information for victim identification. This study evaluates a training module specifically designed for EMS professionals.
Methods: The online training module was developed in collaboration with Florida State University. Data were collected anonymously using voluntary pre- and post-tests. In total, 237 participants (majority American, n=224) completed at least 80% of the questions which asked about identification of HT indicators, previous training, frequency of suspected contact, and demographics. Data were analyzed using descriptive and bivariate statistics.
Results: Preliminary results suggest training effectively educates EMS personnel to recognize signs of HT. Paired-samples t-tests demonstrate increased suspicion for 26/27 indicators; the likelihood of suspecting HT before (m=107.23, SD=16.23) versus after training (m=118.61, SD=15.90) based on summed values of all indicators was statistically significant; t(208)=-9.129, p<.001.
Conclusions: This research falls under the Grand Theme of ‘Building Viable, Healthy, and Safe Communities’ by describing efforts to raise the visibility of HT among paramedics. Training may provide knowledge and confidence to report HT to resources equipped to effectively intervene. Training EMS personnel in HT will help fight modern day slavery and create healthier and safer communities
A First Response: Educating Paramedics to Identify Signs of Human Trafficking
Introduction: Human trafficking (HT) affects approximately 21 million victims, representing a serious public health concern exacerbated by missed intervention opportunities. Targeted training has previously resulted in increased victim identification. While intervention with hospital staff increased HT awareness, less is known about prehospital personnel, specifically emergency medical services (EMS) personnel. This gap is problematic, as EMS personnel are uniquely positioned to conduct patient and environmental assessments that provide critical information for victim identification. This study evaluates a training module specifically designed for EMS professionals.
Methods: The online training module was developed in collaboration with Florida State University. Data were collected anonymously using voluntary pre- and post-tests. In total, 237 participants (majority American, n=224) completed at least 80% of the questions which asked about identification of HT indicators, previous training, frequency of suspected contact, and demographics. Data were analyzed using descriptive and bivariate statistics.
Results: Preliminary results suggest training effectively educates EMS personnel to recognize signs of HT. Paired-samples t-tests demonstrate increased suspicion for 26/27 indicators; the likelihood of suspecting HT before (m=107.23, SD=16.23) versus after training (m=118.61, SD=15.90) based on summed values of all indicators was statistically significant; t(208)=-9.129, p<.001.
Conclusions: This research falls under the Grand Theme of ‘Building Viable, Healthy, and Safe Communities’ by describing efforts to raise the visibility of HT among paramedics. Training may provide knowledge and confidence to report HT to resources equipped to effectively intervene. Training EMS personnel in HT will help fight modern day slavery and create healthier and safer communities