Road ambulances: working conditions of paramedics – pilot studies
Objectives The article presents the results of selected pilot studies conducted in medical ambulances. Their aim was to determine the working conditions and identify troublesome factors accompanying the performance of basic medical procedures by rescue teams. Material and Methods The study of worki...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine
2020-01-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.journalssystem.com/ijomeh/Road-Ambulances-Working-Conditions-of-Paramedics-Pilot-Studies,113341,0,2.html |
| Summary: | Objectives
The article presents the results of selected pilot studies conducted in medical ambulances. Their aim was to determine the working conditions
and identify troublesome factors accompanying the performance of basic medical procedures by rescue teams.
Material and Methods
The study
of working conditions was carried out in Mercedes-Benz ambulances, type S and P. Fifty-one paramedics of the Emergency Medical Rescue Service
in Siedlce took part in the research. The questionnaire expert survey method and the direct observation method were used.
Results
As a result of
the applied research methods, knowledge was gained on the irregularities and difficulties that occur at the workplace of a paramedic, i.e., in an ambulance,
including the lack of access to essential elements of medical equipment and their different location inside the vehicle, and the diversity of
solutions for the spatial structure of ambulances, which all cause difficulties at work. Research has shown that paramedics take, on average, 33 min to
familiarize themselves with the location of equipment in an ambulance other than the one in which they are usually on duty. There was no correlation
between the lifeguard’s length of service and the time necessary for getting acquainted with the equipment, which was studied using Pearson’s correlation
coefficient. In the study, rescuers also pointed to musculoskeletal ailments, mainly spinal pains resulting from taking forced positions during
medical activities in an ambulance.
Conclusions
The results obtained constitute the basis for the author’s methodology of complex research aimed
at defining the ergonomic recommendations necessary in the modification process of the operated medical fleet. The next step will be to formulate
uniform guidelines for the construction of medical compartments of ambulances, the application of which will lead to the unification of their spatial
structure regardless of the vehicle brand. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2020;33(1):91–105 |
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| ISSN: | 1232-1087 1896-494X |