The State of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Systems in Africa

2017 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 273-283 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nee-Kofi Mould-Millman ◽  
Julia M. Dixon ◽  
Nana Sefa ◽  
Arthur Yancey ◽  
Bonaventure G. Hollong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Medical Services ◽  
Life Support ◽  
Clinical Care ◽  
The State ◽  
Medical Services ◽  
Fee For Service ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
African Countries ◽  
State Of Emergency ◽  
Emergency Medical

AbstractIntroductionLittle is known about the existence, distribution, and characteristics of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) systems in Africa, or the corresponding epidemiology of prehospital illness and injury.MethodsA survey was conducted between 2013 and 2014 by distributing a detailed EMS system questionnaire to experts in paper and electronic versions. The questionnaire ascertained EMS systems’ jurisdiction, operations, finance, clinical care, resources, and regulatory environment. The discovery of respondents with requisite expertise occurred in multiple phases, including snowball sampling, a review of published scientific literature, and a rigorous search of the Internet.ResultsThe survey response rate was 46%, and data represented 49 of 54 (91%) African countries. Twenty-five EMS systems were identified and distributed among 16 countries (30% of African countries). There was no evidence of EMS systems in 33 (61%) countries. A total of 98,574,731 (8.7%) of the African population were serviced by at least one EMS system in 2012. The leading causes of EMS transport were (in order of decreasing frequency): injury, obstetric, respiratory, cardiovascular, and gastrointestinal complaints. Nineteen percent of African countries had government-financed EMS systems and 26% had a toll-free public access telephone number. Basic emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and Basic Life Support (BLS)-equipped ambulances were the most common cadre of provider and ambulance level, respectively (84% each).ConclusionEmergency Medical Services systems exist in one-third of African countries. Injury and obstetric complaints are the leading African prehospital conditions. Only a minority (<9.0%) of Africans have coverage by an EMS system. Most systems were predominantly BLS, government operated, and fee-for-service.Mould-MillmanNK, DixonJM, SefaN, YanceyA, HollongBG, HagahmedM, GindeAA, WallisLA. The state of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) systems in Africa. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2017;32(3):273–283.

It’s Time to Talk to Prehospital Providers: Feedback Disparities among Ground-Based Emergency Medical Services Providers and its Impact on Job Satisfaction

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Sarayna S. McGuire ◽  
Anuradha Luke ◽  
Aaron B. Klassen ◽  
Lucas A. Myers ◽  
Aidan F. Mullan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Job Satisfaction ◽  
Patient Care ◽  
Emergency Medical Services ◽  
Performance Feedback ◽  
Life Support ◽  
Clinical Care ◽  
Medical Services ◽  
The Past ◽  
Emergency Medical ◽  
Overall Job Satisfaction

Abstract Objective: Performance feedback on clinical care and patient outcomes is a cornerstone of medical education, yet it remains lacking in the prehospital environment. Research seeking to establish the quantity of feedback provided to Emergency Medical Services (EMS) has been limited and studies focused on complimentary feedback or how feedback relates to EMS job satisfaction are lacking. The objectives of this study were to measure the frequency and nature of feedback received by EMS agencies and to identify the importance of receiving feedback as it relates to EMS job satisfaction. Methods: This was an anonymous, survey-based study of twenty-nine Basic Life Support (BLS) and fifteen Advanced Life Support (ALS) agencies located in Southeastern Minnesota (USA). Descriptive statistics and Fisher exact tests were used. The study was deemed exempt by the Mayo Clinic Institutional Review Board. Results: Ninety-four responses were included from nineteen different EMS agencies, including sixty-one (64.9%) paramedics and thirty-three (35.1%) emergency medical technicians (EMTs). One-half of all respondents reported that they had not received any type of feedback in the past 30 days, while another 43.6% of respondents indicated that they had only received feedback one to three times in the same time period. Twenty (60.6%) EMTs reported receiving no feedback in the past 30 days, compared with twenty-seven (44.3%) paramedics (P = .123). Of respondents receiving feedback, 65.9% reported never or rarely receiving positive reinforcing feedback and 60.6% reported never or rarely receiving constructive criticism or feedback regarding something that did not go well with patient care or transport. The majority of respondents were dissatisfied with the quantity (86.1%) and quality (73.4%) of feedback received. An overwhelming majority (93.6%) indicated that feedback on patient care or outcomes was important in influencing their overall job satisfaction. This high importance was maintained across all demographic groups. Conclusion: Within the cohort of survey respondents, a paucity of feedback received by EMS personnel is a source of dissatisfaction for EMS providers. Feedback on patient care strongly relates to overall job satisfaction. These findings suggest system-wide opportunities for structured feedback processes, focusing upon both quality and quantity of delivered feedback, to improve both patient care and staff satisfaction.

scholarly journals The State of Emergency Medical Services and Acute Health Facility Care in Uganda: Findings from a National Cross-Sectional Survey

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Albert Ningwa ◽  
Kennedy Muni ◽  
Frederick Oporia ◽  
Joseph Kalanzi ◽  
Esther Bayiga Zziwa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Medical Services ◽  
Hospital Care ◽  
National Level ◽  
The State ◽  
Medical Services ◽  
Limited Information ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
State Of Emergency ◽  
Emergency Medical

Abstract Background There is limited information on the state of emergency medical services (EMS) in Uganda. The available evidence is from studies that focused either on assessing EMS capacity and gaps at the national level especially in Kampala or identifying risk factors for specific emergency medical conditions (e.g., injuries). In this study, we sought to provide a snapshot of the state of EMS in Uganda by assessing EMS capacity (pre-hospital and hospital) at both the national and sub-national (district) levels. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional national survey where we administered structured questionnaires to EMS providers and policy makers from 38 randomly selected districts across seven of the 14 health regions of Uganda. We interviewed district health officers, hospital managers, and pre-hospital EMS providers and collected data on EMS policies and guidelines, medical products, financing, health workforce, service delivery, and information sharing. Results As of the time of data collection, Uganda did not have national or sub-national EMS policies and guidelines to guide emergency health work. In addition, there was no functional universal toll-free number for emergency response in the country. However, Ministry of Health officials indicated that a taskforce has been set up to lead development of national EMS policy, guidelines, and standards including establishment of a toll-free emergency number. At the sub-national level, we found that majority of ambulances lacked the products and supplies needed to provide pre-hospital care, and mainly functioned as emergency transport vehicles, with no capacity for medical care. Only 16 (30.8%) of the 52 pre-hospital providers assessed had standard ambulances, with the remaining 36 (69.2%) providers having improvised ambulances that were not equipped to provide pre-hospital care. In addition, the police and bystanders were the first responders to the majority (>90%) of the emergency cases. Conclusion Our findings reveal weaknesses at every level of what should be a critical component in the health care system – one that deals with the ability to treat life-threatening conditions in a time sensitive manner. The MOH needs to speed up efforts to provide policies and guidelines, and to increase investments for the creation of a functional EMS in Uganda.

Job Stressors and Job Satisfaction in a Major Metropolitan Public EMS Service

1999 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 32-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Shelby Bowron ◽  
Knox H. Todd
Keyword(s):  
Job Satisfaction ◽  
Career Choice ◽  
Emergency Medical Services ◽  
Life Support ◽  
Advanced Life Support ◽  
Emergency Medical Technicians ◽  
Medical Services ◽  
Job Stressors ◽  
Emergency Medical

AbstractIntroduction:Behavioral and social science research suggests that job satisfaction and job performance are positively correlated. It is important that Emergency Medical Services managers identify predictors of job satisfaction in order to maximize job performance among prehospital personnel.Purpose:Identify job stressors that predict the level of job satisfaction among prehospital personnel.Methods:The study was conducted with in a large, urban Emergency Medical Services (Emergency Medical Services) service performing approximately 60,000 Advanced Life Support (Advanced Life Support) responses annually. Using focus groups and informal interviews, potential predictors of global job satisfaction were identified. These factors included: interactions with hospital nurses and physicians; on-line communications; dispatching; training provided by the ambulance service; relationship with supervisors and; standing orders as presently employed by the ambulance service. These factors were incorporated into a 21 item questionnaire including one item measuring global job satisfaction, 14 items measuring potential predictors of satisfaction, and seven questions exploring demographic information such as age, gender, race, years of experience, and years with the company. The survey was administered to all paramedics and Emergency Medical Technicians (Emergency Medical Technicians s) Results of the survey were analyzed using univariate and multivariate techniques to identify predictors of global job satisfaction.Results:Ninety paramedics and Emergency Medical Technicians participated in the study, a response rate of 57.3%. Job satisfaction was cited as extremely satisfying by 11%, very satisfying by 29%, satisfying by 45%, and not satisfying by 15% of respondents. On univariate analysis, only the quality of training, quality of physician interaction, and career choice were associated with global job satisfaction. On multivariate analysis, only career choice (p = 0.005) and quality of physician interaction (p = 0.05) were predictive of global job satisfactionConclusion:Quality of career choice and interactions with physicians are predictive of global job satisfaction within this urban emergency medical service (Emergency Medical Technicians). Future studies should examine specific characteristics of the physician-paramedic interface that influence job satisfaction and attempt to generalize these results to other settings.

Pediatric Prehospital Care in Urban and Rural Areas

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1991 ◽  
Vol 88 (4) ◽  
pp. 681-690 ◽  
Author(s):  
James S. Seidel ◽  
Deborah Parkman Henderson ◽  
Patrick Ward ◽  
Barbara Wray Wayland ◽  
Beverly Ness
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Medical Services ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Pediatric Patients ◽  
Life Support ◽  
Prehospital Care ◽  
Advanced Life Support ◽  
Medical Services ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Emergency Medical

There are limited data concerning pediatric prehospital care, although pediatric prehospital calls constitute 10% of emergency medical services activity. Data from 10 493 prehospital care reports in 11 counties of California (four emergency medical services systems in rural and urban areas) were collected and analyzed. Comparison of urban and rural data found few significant differences in parameters analyzed. Use of the emergency medical services system by pediatric patients increased with age, but 12.5% of all calls were for children younger than 2 years. Calls for medical problems were most common for patients younger than 5 years of age; trauma was a more common complaint in rural areas (64%, P = .0001). Frequency of vital sign assessment differed by region, as did hospital contact (P &lt; .0001). Complete assessment of young pediatric patients, with a full set of vital signs and neurologic assessment, was rarely performed. Advanced life support providers were often on the scene, but advanced life support treatments and procedures were infrequently used. This study suggests the need for additional data on which to base emergency medical services system design and some directions for education of prehospital care providers.

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