ABRAT™-EMS
ABRAT™-EMS
Validated Violence Risk Screening for Prehospital Care
A validated, rapid screening tool that helps EMS clinicians anticipate violence early before transport and escalation.
Product Overview:
ABRAT™-EMS is a validated violence risk screening tool developed specifically for prehospital emergency medical services. It enables EMS clinicians to rapidly identify patients at risk of violent behavior early in the encounter, when decisions about positioning, communication, and scene safety matter most.
Unlike hospital-based tools, ABRAT-EMS is designed for:
Short, high-pressure encounters
Limited access to patient history
On-scene decision-making before transport
It is a brief 3-item checklist derived from a large, prospective EMS study and validated in real-world prehospital settings.
Why EMS Needs Proactive Violence Screening
Why Prehospital Violence Risk Is Different
EMS clinicians experience some of the highest rates of workplace violence in healthcare
Violence-related injuries among EMS clinicians increased from 5.2 to 37.8 per 10,000 workers over time
EMS clinicians are nearly 6× more likely to experience violence-related injuries than the average U.S. worker
Most EMS agencies lack standardized violence risk screening tools
Key insight:
Without early identification, violence prevention often starts after an incident not before.
What ABRAT™-EMS Does
Rapid Risk Identification
Screens patients for violence risk using three observable indicators that EMS clinicians can assess quickly on scene.
Designed for EMS Workflow
Completed before transport, without disrupting patient care or scene operations.
Focused, Actionable Output
Helps clinicians anticipate risk and apply targeted safety measures for high-risk encounters.
Validated in Prehospital Settings
Derived from a large, prospective EMS study involving 9,000+ patient encounters.
Proven Clinical Evidence
Proven in Real-World EMS Practice
9,024 EMS patient encounters evaluated
1.16% experienced at least one violent event
Resulting tool reduced to a 3-item checklist:
Agitation
Confusion
Aggressive / threatening behavior
Performance Metrics
AUC: 0.89 (high discrimination between violent and non-violent patients)
Sensitivity: 82.9%
Specificity: 88.1%
Interpretation line (important):
ABRAT™-EMS correctly identifies the majority of violent patients while minimizing false positives in fast-moving EMS environments.
How ABRAT™-EMS Works in the Field
- EMS arrives on scene
- ABRAT™-EMS screening completed during initial assessment
- Patient classified as low, medium, or high risk
- Targeted de-escalation or safety measures applied as needed
- Violent events, if any, documented using VEST
Risk Stratification
Risk Stratification That Guides Action
Low risk (score 0):
Violence rate ~0.2%
Routine care appropriateMedium risk (scores 1–3):
Violence rate ~1.3%
Reassessment and de-escalation recommendedHigh risk (score ≥4):
Violence rate 34.2%
Proactive safety measures strongly advised
ABRAT™-EMS is supported by peer-reviewed clinical research conducted in real-world prehospital emergency medical services settings.
