Safety, risk and aggression: health professionals' experiences of caring for people affected by crystal methamphetamine (ICE) when presenting for emergency care

The crystalline form of methamphetamine, commonly known as crystal meth or ‘ICE’ is a highly addictive and powerful stimulant. Users of crystal meth often require emergency care, and are associated with a substantial burden of care by emergency care providers. In this qualitative study, we report findings from semi-structured interviews conducted with health professionals (n=9) about their experiences providing care for patients affected by ICE and presenting to the emergency department. Safety and aggression management was revealed as a major aspect of care provision for these personnel, and a major theme: ‘Staying safe’ was revealed. ‘Staying safe’ described experiences of participants being exposed to potentially unsafe situations, and their responses to the challenging behaviours and aggression participants encountered when caring for these patients. Our findings highlight the need for ED staff to understand the nature of ICE use and its adverse impact on the mental and physical health of users. Furthermore, it is clear that establishing and maintaining safety in the emergency care setting is of utmost importance, and should be a priority for healthcare managers