‘You're never making just one decision’: exploring the lived experiences of ambulance Emergency Operations Centre personnel

Coxon, Astrid; Cropley, Mark; Schofield, Pat; Start, Kath; Horsfield, Claire; Quinn, Tom

doi:10.1136/emermed-2015-204841

Cited by 28 publications

(89 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…In a recent study,Hegg-Deloye et al, (2014, p. 247) reviewing the current state of literature concluded that paramedics accumulate a set of risk factors, including acute and chronic stress, that can lead to the development of cardiovascular diseases and "post-traumatic disorders, sleep problems and obesity are prevalent among paramedics. "Coxon et al, (2016) has found similar evidence of key stressors and their impact on well-being of staff working in the ambulance dispatch. Halpern et al, (2011, p.51) similarly argued that ambulance workers frequently deal with stressful or critical incidents that can result in significant 'emotional sequelae', such as depression, burnout and post-traumatic stress symptoms.Sickness absence data in the UK NHS has been published by the Department of Health(DH) and Office for National statistics (ONS).…”

mentioning

confidence: 74%

“…Living a life on the edge (Hewitt and Luce, 2006) has its own perverse consequences. There is a growing discourse surrounding the various health related issues in the ambulance service with the underlying assumption that such work is inherently stressful (Hegg-Deloye et al, 2014;Coxon et al, 2016;Mishra et al, 2010;Sterud, et al, 2011Sterud, et al, , 2006Sterud, et al, , 2008Bennett et al, 2004;Pajonk, et al, 2011;Nightingale andMark, 1988, Clohessy andEhlers, 1999;Alexander and Klein, 2001;Mahony, 2001). To this effect, Sterud et al, (2011, p.2) argue that ambulance personnel routinely attend non-emergency work, such as transporting and providing appropriate care to chronically and terminally ill patients, which imposes "different emotional demands and which might be experienced as more emotionally exhausting than more sensational events".…”

Section: Implication Of Work Intensity On Sickness Absence In the Ambmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Staff perceptions and changing role of pre-hospital profession in the UK ambulance services

Wankhade

2016

IJES

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Purpose There is a growing academic interest in the examination and exploration of work intensification in a wide range of healthcare settings. The purpose of this paper is to explore the differing staff perceptions in emergency ambulance services in the UK. It provides evidence on the challenges for the paramedic professionalisation agenda and managing operational demands and work intensity in emotionally challenging circumstances, with significant implications for patient safety. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on the evidence from an empirical study in a large National Health Service ambulance trust in England, this paper examines the challenges and differing staff perceptions of the changing scope and practice of ambulance personnel in the UK. Amidst the progress on the professionalisation of the paramedic agenda, individual trusts are facing challenges in form of staff attitudes towards meeting performance targets, coupled with rising demand, fear of loss of contracts and private competition. Findings Research findings highlight differing perceptions from various sub-cultural groups and lack of clarity over the core values which are reinforced by cultural and management differences. Need for greater management to explore the relationship between high sickness levels and implications for patient safety including the need for policy and research attention follows from this study. The implications of work intensity on gender equality within the ambulance settings are also discussed. Research limitations/implications Ambulance services around the world are witnessing a strain on their operational budgets with increasing demand for their services. Study evidence support inconclusive evidence for patent safety despite the growing specialist paramedic roles. Organisational implications of high staff sickness rates have been largely overlooked in the management literature. This study makes an original contribution while building upon the earlier conceptions of work intensification. Practical implications The study findings have significant implications for the ambulance services for better understanding of the staff perceptions on work intensity and implications for patient safety, high sickness absence rates amidst increasing ambulance demand. Study findings will help prepare the organisational policies and design appropriate response. Social implications Societal understanding about the organisational implications of the work intensity in an important emergency response service will encourage further debate and discussion. Originality/value This study makes an original contribution by providing insights into the intra-organisational dynamics in an unusual organisational setting of the emergency ambulance services. Study findings have implications for further research inquiry into staff illness, patient safety and gender issues in ambulance services. Evidence cited in the paper has further relevance to ambulance services globally.

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confidence: 74%

Section: Implication Of Work Intensity On Sickness Absence In the Ambmentioning

confidence: 99%

Staff perceptions and changing role of pre-hospital profession in the UK ambulance services

Wankhade

2016

IJES

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“…Studies were conducted in a range of countries; seven were from the USA ( Doerner, 1987 ; Jenkins, 1997 ; Tracy & Tracy, 1998 ; Shuler & Sypher, 2000 ; Pierce & Lilly, 2012 ; Anshel, Umscheid & Brinthaupt, 2013 ; Palmer, 2014 ), four were from the UK ( James & Wright, 1991 ; Wastell & Newman, 1996 ; Sprigg, Armitage & Hollis, 2007 ; Coxon et al, 2016 ), two from Australia ( Shakespeare-Finch, Rees & Armstrong, 2014 ; Adams, Shakespeare-Finch & Armstrong, 2015 ), one from France ( Weibel et al, 2003 ), one from Sweden ( Forslund, Kihlgren & Kihlgren, 2004 ), and one from Ireland ( Gallagher & McGilloway, 2008 ). Populations studied included operatives across different emergency services; eight studied ambulance EDC operatives ( James & Wright, 1991 ; Wastell & Newman, 1996 ; Weibel et al, 2003 ; Sprigg, Armitage & Hollis, 2007 ; Gallagher & McGilloway, 2008 ; Shakespeare-Finch, Rees & Armstrong, 2014 ; Adams, Shakespeare-Finch & Armstrong, 2015 ; Coxon et al, 2016 ), one studied fire EDC operatives ( Palmer, 2014 ), and five studied police EDC operatives ( Doerner, 1987 ; Tracy & Tracy, 1998 ; Shuler & Sypher, 2000 ; Pierce & Lilly, 2012 ; Anshel, Umscheid & Brinthaupt, 2013 ). In one study EDC operatives handled fire and ambulance calls ( Jenkins, 1997 ), and in one study EDC operatives handled fire, police, and ambulance calls ( Forslund, Kihlgren & Kihlgren, 2004 ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring the psychological health of emergency dispatch centre operatives: a systematic review and narrative synthesis

Golding

Horsfield

Davies

et al. 2017

PeerJ

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BackgroundThe study objective was to investigate and synthesize available evidence relating to the psychological health of Emergency Dispatch Centre (EDC) operatives, and to identify key stressors experienced by EDC operatives.MethodsEight electronic databases (Embase, PubMed, Medline, CINAHL, PsycInfo, PsycArticles, The Psychology and Behavioural Sciences Collection, and Google Scholar) were searched. All study designs were included, and no date limits were set. Studies were included if they were published in English, and explored the psychological health of any EDC operatives, across fire, police, and emergency medical services. Studies were excluded if they related solely to other emergency workers, such as police officers or paramedics. Methodological quality of included studies was assessed using checklists adapted from the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme. A narrative synthesis was conducted, using thematic analysis.ResultsA total of 16 articles were included in the review. Two overarching themes were identified during the narrative synthesis: ‘Organisational and Operational Factors’ and ‘Interactions with Others’. Stressors identified included being exposed to traumatic calls, lacking control over high workload, and working in under-resourced and pressured environments. Lack of support from management and providing an emotionally demanding service were additional sources of stress. Peer support and social support from friends and family were helpful in managing work-related stress.DiscussionEDC operatives experience stress as a result of their work, which appears to be related to negative psychological health outcomes. Future research should explore the long-term effects of this stress, and the potential for workplace interventions to alleviate the negative impacts on psychological health.PROSPERO Registration NumberCRD42014010806.

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“…Third, communicating with anyone who might act as a vessel for emotions that might overcome ambulance personnel following the event aids in internalizing the stressful experience and assists in coping with tough memories. [10][11][12] Chronic work stress among EMS personnel has been associated with burnout, decreased job satisfaction, fatigue, impaired physical health, higher percentages of job turnover, and significant posttraumatic stress symptomatology. 13,14 Our hypothesis was that there is a correlation between burnout vs sociodemographic characteristics and work-related factors and coping methods of EMS professionals.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

<p>Burnout and Coping Methods among Emergency Medical Services Professionals</p>

ALmutairi¹,

El.Mahalli²

2020

JMDH

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Purpose: To determine levels of burnout among emergency medical services (EMS) professionals and the coping strategies they use to alleviate burnout and measure the association between burnout vs sociodemographic and work-related characteristics and coping strategies of EMS professionals. Methods: This was a cross-sectional survey study conducted among 270 active-duty EMS professionals. The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI)-Health Services Survey was used to assess burnout. There are three scales of burnout: depersonalization, emotional exhaustion, and personal achievement. Coping Methods Checklist (CMC) was used to assess coping strategies. Univariate descriptive statistics were used to explore sociodemographic characteristics of participants, level of burnout, and coping strategies. Primary bivariate analyses were used to determine variables significantly correlated with each of the three MBI scores. Multiple linear regression models were used to explore correlation between variables measured in the survey with each of the three MBI scales (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment). Results: EMS professionals perceived high levels of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization and low levels of personal achievement. The most frequently used coping strategies were talking with colleagues (87.4%), looking forward to being off duty (82.6%), and thinking about the positive benefits of work (81.1%). CMC7 (thinking about the positive benefits of work) contributed most to variations in emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal achievement. Saudis had lower emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. Conclusion: This study might provide evidence to formulate comprehensive training on how EMS workers can cope with burnout.

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‘You're never making just one decision’: exploring the lived experiences of ambulance Emergency Operations Centre personnel

Abstract: Background The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of ambulance dispatch

Cited by 28 publications

References 34 publications

Staff perceptions and changing role of pre-hospital profession in the UK ambulance services

Staff perceptions and changing role of pre-hospital profession in the UK ambulance services

Exploring the psychological health of emergency dispatch centre operatives: a systematic review and narrative synthesis

<p>Burnout and Coping Methods among Emergency Medical Services Professionals</p>

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