Perceived human factors from the perspective of paramedics – a qualitative interview study

Abstract

Background The work environment in prehospital emergency medical care setting is dynamic and complex and includes many stressors. However, little is known about the perceived human factors from the perspective of paramedics. In this study, we investigated, from the perspective of paramedics, what are the human factors, and how are they linked to prehospital emergency medical care? Methods Data were collected through semi-structured interviews (n = 15) with Finnish paramedics. The material was analyzed using inductive content analysis. Results Three main categories of human factors were identified. The first main category consisted of factors related to work which were divided into two generic categories: “Challenging organizational work environment” and “Changing external work environment.” The second main category comprised factors related to paramedics themselves and were divided into three generic categories: “Issues linked to personality,” “Personal experiences”, and “Factors resulting from personal features.” The third main category described that paramedics have difficulties in understanding and describing human factors. Conclusion This study revealed numerous factors that can affect paramedics’ work in the EMS setting. Increased knowledge about human factors in the EMS setting provides organizations with the opportunity to develop procedures that can support paramedics’ cognitive and physical work. Human factors in different situations can be addressed to improve occupational and patient safety.

Ambulance professionals' experiences of teamwork in the context of a team training programme – a qualitative study

“…The APs in our study clearly preferred to work with familiar partners and described how staff turnover and the frequent use of locums were detrimental to team performance and increased their stress levels. The intimate work relationships among APs and the existence of joint downtime between missions is a prominent characteristic of the ambulance service, and one could argue that a personal connection with one’s partner is of particular importance in this context [ 22 , 23 ]. Working most of one’s shifts with the same partner or rotating partners within a small group of colleagues with whom one familiar (alongside occasional shifts to new partner, which can allow one to remain attentive and receive new input) would be optimal according to the APs.…”

“…By working closely together, APs often develop personal, almost familial bonds, and feeling safe with their partner was identified as crucial by the APs included in this study. The mutual dependency and joint downtime between missions observed in this context are somewhat unique to the ambulance service, and establishing good interpersonal relationships is vital for appropriate partnerships and quality in the context of teamwork [ 23 ]. According to the APs, it was the responsibility of the more experienced AP to establish an environment in which their partner felt safe to ask questions and make mistakes.…”

Segurança do profissional na atenção primária e serviços de referência no enfrentamento da pandemia de COVID-19: scoping review

“…A infodemia advinda da pandemia de COVID-19, juntamente com a atualização e a refutação de diversos protocolos, implicaram melhor articulação intersetorial, referenciando que a comunicação eficaz entre os profissionais da equipe é uma ferramenta potente para estabelecer linearidade nas ações de combate e de proteção contra a disseminação do SARS-COV-2 (Retzlaff et al, 2020). A inconstância de informações e a rápida atualização do conhecimento durante esse período crítico, afetaram o desempenho dos profissionais da linha de frente, resultando em processos assistenciais intuitivos e empíricos (Poranen et al, 2022), o que impactou diretamente a segurança do profissional e do paciente assistido. Além disso, a politização das informações sobre a doença potencializa essa problemática, levando a desinformação e ceticismo (McAlearney et al, 2022).…”

“…Além disso, os profissionais que já trabalhavam no serviço de emergência no período anterior à pandemia, apresentaram níveis mais altos de exaustão do que os servidores que foram transferidos para o setor de emergência durante o período pandêmico (Chor et al, 2021). Por essa razão, a condição psicológica dos profissionais de saúde que atuaram no enfrentamento de momentos críticos de saúde, deveria ser acompanhada sistematicamente, uma vez que memórias desagradáveis de acontecimentos passados podem desencadear sobrecarga e pressão mental no presente (Poranen et al, 2022).…”

“…Para a sociedade, os profissionais de saúde passaram a ser possíveis disseminadores do vírus SARS-CoV-2, principalmente para os familiares, o que resultou em um estado de medo de infecção e alerta constante pela possibilidade de transmissão da doença para o ciclo de convívio (Poranen et al, 2022;Ilczak et al, 2021;Blanchard et al, 2022, Maraqa et al, 2021. Perante a possibilidade de ser infectado e transmitir o vírus e ter que se distanciar da família, a realidade cotidiana de profissionais foi impactada e, no início da pandemia, vários acabaram mudando para hotéis e pousadas, ou adotando medidas de desinfecção do lado de fora de suas residências (Usul et al, 2021;Maraqa et al, 2021).…”