Working During Pandemic Disasters: Views and Predictors of EMS Providers

Abstract

Objective: This study aims to assess the perception and attitude of Emergency medical services (EMS) providers toward working during disease outbreaks, and the factors that may influence their decisions to ultimately work or not. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study assessing the attitude of EMS providers to work during disease outbreaks. Descriptive statistics and regression analyses were performed to assess attitudes towards reporting for duty and factors that influence providers’ decisions. Results: Of the 500 surveys distributed, 466 (93.2%) were complete and included for analysis. The majority of participants (70.2%) are male with a mean age of 27 (SD 4.3) years. The study found that the majority (71.1%) of participants are willing to come to work during disease outbreaks. The study found seven predictors of reporting for duty. Confidence that employer will provide adequate protective gear was the most significant predictor (OR 3.95; 95% CI = 2.31-5.42). Concern for family safety was the most important barrier against coming to work (OR 0.40; 95% CI =0.21-0.73). Conclusions: Providing adequate supplies of protective gear along with knowledge and training for disease outbreak are the main factors that enhance providers to fulfill their work expectations.

Emergency clinicians’ knowledge, preparedness and experiences of managing COVID-19 during the 2020 global pandemic in Australian healthcare settings

“…Previous research investigating the impact of infectious diseases outbreaks (e.g. COVID-19, Ebola virus disease, Severe acute respiratory syndrome, influenza and Middle East respiratory syndrome) has shown that while emergency department (ED) presentations decreased [6] , [7] , [8] , [9] , emergency nurses and physicians and paramedics faced increased stress and anxiety [10] , [11] , fear of being stigmatised from family and society due to the nature of their work [12] , and had elevated concerns for the safety of their families [13] , [14] .…”

Covid-19 Fobisinin Algılanan Strese Etkisi: Hastane Öncesi Acil Sağlık Hizmetleri Çalışanları Örneği

“…The review of the studies in the literature on Covid-19 demonstrated that the number of studies conducted on prehospital EMS professionals is not many. The participation rate of EMS professionals in studies conducted with healthcare professionals is low (Alwidyan et al, 2020). This is due to the fact that they do not have enough time because they work in the field and they are not easily accessible.…”

“…However, healthcare workers continued to work nonstop and are faced with critical situations. Especially at the beginning, the insufficiency of the measures for the pandemic, and the lack of guidelines on functioning negatively affected this process (Alwidyan et al, 2020). Among these are the risk of catching the Covid-19 virus and spreading it to their immediate surroundings, experiencing the symptoms that develop due to catching the virus, the possibility of not taking adequate protection measures at the scene, and their physical and mental health's being adversely affected.…”

“…In addition, their working on shifts, being unprepared for extraordinary situations, and workspecific features can cause healthcare workers to be more tense and stressful (Devnani, 2012). The Covid-19 outbreak, a similar situation, have adversely affected healthcare workers' current levels of stress, fear, anxiety and depression (Alwidyan et al, 2020).…”

Are Healthcare Professionals in Jordan Willing to Work and Provide Care for Covid-19 Patients?

“…A review by Devnani indicated that being male is a predictor of being more willing to work during pandemics (31). In contrast, a recent study on Jordanian paramedics found no significant gender differences to work during pandemic disasters (32). Furthermore, when it comes to working during the COVID-19 pandemic, no gender differences were found in healthcare workers' willingness to care for COVID-19 patients (33)(34)(35).…”