Background and Aims
Resilience is a process that enables people to control the stressors of their lives. During the COVID‐19 crisis, work stress increased among prehospital emergency technicians. So, ...it was possible to reduce their resilience. This study aimed to investigate the changes in the prehospital emergency technicians' resilience during the pandemic of COVID‐19.
Methods
A cross‐sectional study was conducted at the prehospital emergency department in Qazvin province. For 6 months, 234 emergency technicians participated in this study. Data collection tools included a demographic questionnaire and the emergency medical services resilience scale (EMSRS).
Results
The Friedman test indicated no significant difference between the mean scores of EMS employees' resilience during 6 months (p > 0.05). However, the correlation matrix between the scores of EMSRS during 6 months indicated that the resilience scores of EMS employees were positively correlated during the study (p < 0.01).
Conclusions
The EMS technicians' resilience was almost constant and moderate during the 6 months of care for patients with COVID‐19 and their transfer to the hospital, indicating that the COVID‐19 crisis could suppress the emergency medical technicians ability to increase resilience.
Background: Pre-hospital care is crucial in supervising and handling urgent patients and medical crises. Emergency medical centers’ swifter response and heightened precision lead to time efficiency ...and alleviate the burden on hospital capacities. This research pinpoints the influential factors contributing to the enhancement of pre-hospital emergency time indicators at Qazvin University of Medical Sciences. Materials and Methods: In this research, a qualitative methodology using the content analysis technique was adopted to explore and derive influential elements to enhance time-based metrics. Information was gathered via semi-structured interviews, involving 10 individuals, including authorities, academic personnel, technicians, and specialized physicians stationed within educational and medical institutions’ emergency units. These participants were selected via purposeful sampling. Following the categorization and interconnection of these categories, a conceptual framework was formulated. Results: A total of 14 overarching aspects, encompassing staff readiness, skilled workforce, human resource administration, infrastructure and institutional amenities, communication and information technology oversight, intelligence, impactful environmental elements, patient-linked variables, proficient scene management elements, adherence to national protocols, contextual factors, inter-organizational harmony and collaboration, noteworthy attributes of the receiving treatment center, and feasibility of catering to the vulnerable populace resulted in the identification of a total of 41 influential constituents. Conclusion: The research findings demonstrated that enhancements in base quantity, ambulance count, provisioning superior and top-tier equipment, augmenting staff numbers, designing enhanced training schemes for emergency medical services team members, and integrating contemporary technology and equipment could serve as viable resolutions for advancing time indicators.
Background: Appropriate and timely response in urgent situations requires vast knowledge and physical and mental preparedness. Since emergency medical technicians are the first professional ...respondents in the health system, selecting the right people to study in this field is very important. Because there is no specific model in Iran to propose the indicators in the selection of applicants for this field, the present study was conducted to offer some indicators for the admission of prehospital emergency medical students. Materials and Methods: This research was conducted using a mixed qualitative and quantitative approach in three steps: reviewing the relevant texts, meetings of scientific and operational experts, and determining the validity and reliability of the content. After finalizing, the areas and indicators of student selection were used in the interview process of candidates in 2020. SPSS v. 24 software was used for quantitative data analysis. Results: The selection tool for prehospital emergency medical students included 4 areas (with 26 criteria): 1) general qualifications area with 8 criteria (documents concerning degree and identity, written GPA of diploma, entrance exam score, type of diploma, special abilities, working in relief organizations, gaining a scientific-sports position, and interviewing of faculty members); 2) physical health with 7 criteria (height, body mass index, visual health, hearing health, stuttering, organ dysfunction-physical disability, and chronic debilitating diseases); 3) psychological status with 5 criteria (orderliness, responsibility, quick and correct decision making, stress management, and belief in teamwork); and 4) physical fitness with 6 criteria (1600-m run, 45-m speed-run, 4×9 m run, sit-up, long jump, and Swedish swimming in 30 s). Conclusion: Given the vital importance of prehospital emergency medical jobs as the front line of the health system response, selecting the right people will play a significant role in increasing the quality of services provided, increasing patient satisfaction, and ultimately improving health of the community.
An important indicator increasing the survival chances of patients and injured people immediately after emergency and disaster is the rapid access to medical services. The establishment of Emergency ...and Disaster Medical Response Teams (EDMRTs) is one of the main strategies to improve response capacity and capability in the field of EDMRT. This study aimed to probe the structural factors influencing of EDMRTs.
In this study, a comparative review method was used. The current study was conducted between March 2017 and September 2018. For this, articles, books, formal reports, and information concerning the available websites regarding the structure of EDMRTs were analyzed. To access relevant scientific articles, an extensive search was carried out in several steps using divergent keywords in the Scopus, ProQuest, PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar databases. After accessing the resources and documents, the process of analyzing and comparing different team structures was carried out using content analysis.
Following the search of relevant databases and websites, the structure of EDMRTs in the United States, Australia, Japan, Turkey, New Zealand, Canada, and the World Health Organization were taken into consideration and compared. Two areas of "Organization and Management" as well as "Capacity and Capability Development" were explored along with multiple subsets.
The results of this study revealed that the model and structure of EDMRTs have direct relationship with such elements as the structure of the disaster risk management system, risk assessment, impact of the hazards and medical needs of the affected area, population distribution, level of team activity, and timing of the teams' presence after disasters. The research team recommends designing and conducting studies for determine the roles and responsibilities of the teams.
Healthcare workers perform various clinical procedures for COVID-19 patients facing an elevated risk of exposure to SARS-COV-2.This study aimed to assess the healthcare workers' exposure to COVID-19 ...in Qazvin, Iran in 2020.
We conducted this descriptive-analytical study among all healthcare workers on the frontline of exposure to COVID-19 in Qazvin province. We entered the participants into the study using a multi-stage stratified random sampling method. We utilized a questionnaire, "Health workers exposure risk assessment and management in the context of COVID-19 disease", designed by the World Health Organization (WHO) to collect data. We analyzed data using descriptive and analytical methods with SPSS software version 24.
The results showed that all participants in the study had occupational exposure to the COVID-19 virus. So of 243 healthcare workers, 186 (76.5%) were at low risk and 57 (23.5%) at high risk of COVID-19 virus infection. Also, from the six domains mentioned in the questionnaire, health workers exposure risk assessment and management in the context of COVID-19 disease, the mean score of the domain of the type of healthcare worker interaction with a confirmed COVID-19 patient, the domain of health worker activities performed on a confirmed COVID-19 patient, the domain of the adherence to infection prevention and control (IPC) during health care interactions, and the domain of the adherence to IPC when performing aerosol-generating procedures in the high-risk group were more than the low-risk group.
Despite strict WHO guidelines, many healthcare workers are exposed at contracting COVID-19. Therefore, healthcare managers, planners, and policymakers can revise the policies, provide appropriate and timely personal protective equipment, and plan for ongoing training for staff on the principles of infection prevention and control.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
CEKLJ, DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
The preparedness of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) plays a crucial role in managing health disaster risks. This study was conducted to assess the disaster preparedness of EMS facilities in Iran, ...using a nationally reliable tool.
A cross-sectional study was conducted in May 2021 to evaluate the disaster preparedness of EMS facilities in Iran using a national standard tool. The census sampling approach was utilized to select the samples, and descriptive statistics, as well as analytical statistics like the independent t-test and Pearson's correlation test, were used to analyze the data using SPSS-18 software.
The findings of this study revealed that the majority of EMS facilities in Iran possess a moderate level of preparedness in dealing with disasters. Also, the results indicate that EMS facilities have an average level of preparedness against disasters in all dimensions except for "coordination and cooperation" and "surge capacity".
According to this study, the majority of EMS facilities in Iran are exposed to different disasters. Furthermore, the findings indicate that while EMS facilities are generally prepared to respond to disasters at an average level, there are some important preparedness gaps in dimensions like response capacities, coordination, and cooperation. Thus, specific strategies, standards, and procedures must be developed and disseminated by the National Medical Emergency Organization.
Background. Work-Family Conflict (WFC) is a form of interrole conflict in which an active participation in occupational activities causes strain and interferes with family roles of workers and vice ...versa. It is a major source of occupational stress among workers and personnel. Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) are an important part of the healthcare system that respond to emergencies. The EMTs experience high level of job stress, which may affect their ability to perform their family roles, and, on the other hand, actively performing their family responsibilities may interfere with the effective delivery of the already stressful activities at workplace. Objective. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of WFC among Emergency Medical Technicians in Iran and its relationship with time management skills. Methods. This was a descriptive study. In this study, 271 EMTs from the western part of Iran completed the questionnaire for the assessment of WFC. The Carlson Family-Conflict Questionnaire and the “Time Management Behaviors Scale” developed by Macan were used as evaluation instruments. The data were analyzed by SPSS software version 16. Appropriate statistical analysis such as mean and standard deviation, Pearson correlation, and Spearman rank correlation was applied for analyzing the data in SPSS. Results. The majority of the participants reported some degrees of WFC. Statistical analysis showed a significant inverse correlation between total WFC score and total “Time Management Behaviors scale” score (r = −0/381، p<0/0001). In the present study, there was no significant correlation between total WFC score and demographic factors such as educational level, age, sex, marital status, number of family members, need for family member care, and work experience (p>0.05). Conclusions. The findings of this study indicate that time management behaviors and skills can reduce WFC among Emergency Medical Technicians. Therefore, it is recommended that prehospital emergency authorities and policymakers plan and implement measures such as reducing the duration of shift-work schedules, decreasing shift-change restrictions, and organizing regular time management courses. Also, employment of local inhabitants is preferred to geographically distant individuals with similar qualification as this will reduce the distance between home and workplace.
Background: Scene management in accidents reduces losses, speeds treatment, and facilitates immediate victim transfer. Learning the related skills through theory-based educational intervention makes ...this task possible. This study aimed to determine the effect of theory-based educational intervention on emergency medical personnel skills to manage the scene in chemical accidents. Materials and Methods: The present study employed a quasi-experimental design with pre- and post-intervention measurements. Using the random sampling method, 70 emergency medical technicians working in Qazvin Province, Iran, were selected and assigned to experimental and control groups. The data collection tools included demographic questions and scales to assess the theory of planned behavior. The intervention program consisted of 4 sessions. Data were analyzed by SPSS software, version 23 using descriptive statistics and analysis of covariance. Results: The Mean±SD age of the participants was 35.03±5.57 years, and 82.6% (57 people) were married. After the intervention, the Mean±SD scores of attitudes (40.11±4.77), subjective norms (15.06±4.27), perceived behavior control (18.53±2.55), and behavioral intention (8.49±2.27) increased significantly in the experimental group (P<0.001). Also, the self-report behavior in the experimental group improved significantly (P<0.001). Conclusion: Theory-based educational intervention improved psychological variables and safe behaviors in chemical accident management. Implementing educational interventions based on this theory enhances the safety performance of medical emergency technicians in chemical accidents.
Background. Understanding disaster risk is the first priority for action based on the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030 (SFDRR), and hazard assessment is the first step in the ...assessment of disaster risks. Therefore, assessing health-oriented hazards is the first measure in disaster risk assessment in the medical universities area in Iran. This article introduces a national experience and results obtained from designing a national tool for defining and assessment of health-oriented hazards in Iran. Methods. In the present study, a National Health-Oriented Hazard Assessment tool (NHHAT) was developed by experts and implemented by the Iranian Ministry of Health for gathering data according to frequency, probability, magnitude, and vulnerability of the hazards to identify the first ten hazards of medical universities in the two decades ago (2000–2021). Finally, the top 20 health-oriented hazards were identified among the ten hazards reported by each university. Results. According to the findings, the four most important hazards were road traffic accidents, earthquakes, drought, and seasonal floods. Nevertheless, the hazards such as desertification, tunnel events, soil liquefaction, mass population movement, and sea progression were among the rarest ones reported in the medical universities in Iran. Conclusion. Many functional aspects of disaster risk management depend on the realistic and accurate information related to the main elements of risk, especially the probable hazards in the communities. The comprehensive hazard assessment can only provide such information using context-bond tools. This is an applied study and a national implementation to fulfill the priority of the Sendai framework (i.e., understanding disasters risk) in Iran. It is suggested that other countries should also compile standard tools to explore the hazards for designing up-to-date hazard maps.
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