Chemsex: core knowledge for emergency medical service responders

Chemsex invokes a complex interaction between physical health, mental health, social care, addiction medicine, sexual health and criminal justice. In providing a community-based response, EMS clinicians are uniquely placed as the only element of healthcare that sees chemsex participants at the event location, often while the incident is still going on. Equipping responders with core knowledge of chemsex activities will ensure they are best able to provide a response that is knowledgeable, patient-centred and offers unconditional positive regard. Clinicians that are chemsex-aware will be in a better position to recognise and understand the drugs that may have been taken and their associated toxidrome and appreciate the significant risk of physical and mental trauma. They will also recognise they are in a unique and privileged position and feel confident to engage in harm reduction with this very high-risk and largely unseen cohort of patients.