Work-Related Accidents and Sharp Injuries in Paramedics—Illustrated with an Example of a Multi-Specialist Hospital, Located in Central Poland

Abstract

(1) Background: An analysis of work-related accidents in paramedics in Poland by presenting the model and trend of accidents, accident rates and by identifying causes and results of accidents; (2) Methods: A retrospective analysis of medical documentation regarding work-related accidents in a multi-specialist hospital, located in central Poland, in the period 2005–2015. The study group included paramedics who had an accident while being on duty; (3) Results: According to hospital records, 88 paramedics were involved in 390 accidents and 265 injuries caused by sharp instruments. The annual accident rate was 5.34/100 employed paramedics. Most of the accidents occurred at night. The most common reason for the accident was careless behaviour of the paramedic, which resulted in joint sprains and dislocations. Injuries accounted for a huge portion of the total number of events. As many as 45% of injuries were not officially recorded; (4) Conclusion: High rates of work-related accidents and injuries caused by sharp instruments in paramedics are a serious public health problem. Further studies should be conducted in order to identify risk factors of accidents, particularly injuries, and to implement preventative programmes, aiming to minimise rates of occupational hazards for paramedics.

Management of High-Pressure Injection Hand Injuries: A Multicentric, Retrospective, Observational Study

“…In our sample, all workers had a multi-annual work experience. As described by Garus-Pakowska et al [29] and by Thepaksorn et al [30], daily work in the same environment and the same tools generate familiarity towards places and objects, which makes them erroneously lower the attention level, thus increasing injury risks.…”

Emergency healthcare providers perception of workplace dangers in the polish Emergency Medical Service: a multi-centre survey study

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Risk of occupational exposures to blood-borne pathogens in paramedics

“…W innym badaniu tych samych autorów analizowano wypadki przy pracy, jakich doświadczali w latach 2005-2015 ratownicy medyczni zatrudnieni w jednym ze szpitali wielospecjalistycznych w województwie wielkopolskim na SOR i w PR [26]. Ogółem w tym okresie zarejestrowano w badanym szpitalu 390 wypadków przy pracy i 265 urazów ostrymi narzędziami.…”

“…Warto zaznaczyć, że istniejące w polskiej i światowej literaturze medycznej opracowania dotyczą najczęściej zakłuć ostrym sprzętem medycznym [23,26] lub ekspozycji poprzez skórę/śluzówki [25] i pochodzą z jednej lub dwóch placówek [21,22,24,26,27] (albo z jednego regionu [28]).…”

“…Porównanie wyników przedstawionych przez poszczególne zespoły badawcze jest trudne z uwagi na różne sposoby gromadzenia danych. Część opracowań [21,26,27] bazuje na zgłoszonych przypadkach ekspozycji zawodowych, które stanowią niewielki odsetek rzeczywistej liczby takich narażeń, inne [19,[22][23][24][25] oparte są na analizach kwestionariuszowych informacji zebranych w określonych ramach czasowych (najczęściej w ostatnich 12 miesiącach lub podczas całej kariery zawodowej badanych). Brakuje opracowań prospektywnych, które oparte byłyby na codziennym śledzeniu narażenia zawodowego ratowników medycznych przez uczestniczących w badaniu przeszkolonych obserwatorów [33].…”