Helicopter emergency medical services in major incident management: A national Norwegian cross-sectional survey

AbstractBackground:Emergency Medical Services (EMS) professionals face high physical demands in high-stress settings; however, the prevalence of cardiovascular health (CVH) risk factors in this health care workforce has not been explored. The primary objective of this study was to compare the distribution of CVH and its individual components between a sample of emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and paramedics. The secondary objective was to identify associations between demographic and employment characteristics with ideal CVH in EMS professionals.Methods:A cross-sectional survey based on the American Heart Association’s (AHA; Dallas, Texas USA) Life’s Simple 7 (LS7) was administered to nationally-certified EMTs and paramedics. The LS7 components were scored according to previously described cut points (ideal = 2; intermediate = 1; poor = 0). A composite CVH score (0-10) was calculated from the component scores, excluding cholesterol and blood glucose due to missing data. Multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (OR; 95% CI) for demographic and employment characteristics associated with optimal CVH (≥7 points).Results:There were 24,708 respondents that were currently practicing and included. More EMTs achieved optimal CVH (n = 4,889; 48.8%) compared to paramedics (n = 4,338; 40.6%). Factors associated with higher odds of optimal CVH included: higher education level (eg, college graduate or more: OR = 2.26; 95% CI, 1.97-2.59); higher personal income (OR = 1.26; 95% CI, 1.17-1.37); and working in an urban versus rural area (OR = 1.31; 95% CI, 1.23-1.40). Paramedic certification level (OR = 0.84; 95% CI, 0.78-0.91), older age (eg, 50 years or older: OR = 0.65; 95% CI, 0.58-0.73), male sex (OR = 0.54; 95% CI, 0.50-0.56), working for a non-fire-based agency (eg, private service: OR = 0.68; 95% CI, 0.62-0.74), and providing medical transport service (OR = 0.81; 95% CI, 0.69-0.94) were associated with lower odds of optimal CVH.Conclusions:Several EMS-related characteristics were associated with lower odds of optimal CVH. Future studies should focus on better understanding the CVH and metabolic risk profiles for EMS professionals and their association with incident cardiovascular disease (CVD), major cardiac events, and occupational mortality.Cash RE, Crowe RP, Bower JK, Foraker RE, Panchal AR. Differences in cardiovascular health metrics in emergency medical technicians compared to paramedics: a crosssectional study of Emergency Medical Services professionals.Prehosp Disaster Med.2019;34(3):288–296.

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Standard Precautions Among Emergency Medical Services in Urban and Rural Areas

Workplace Health & Safety ◽

10.1177/2165079919864118 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 68 (2) ◽

pp. 73-80

Author(s):

Riyadh A. Alhazmi ◽

R. David Parker ◽

Sijin Wen

Keyword(s):

West Virginia ◽

Emergency Medical Services ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Medical Services ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Standard Precautions ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Emergency Medical ◽

Rural And Urban

Backround: Emergency medical services (EMS) workers are at risk of exposure to bloodborne pathogens and frequently exposed to blood and bodily fluids through percutaneous injuries. This study aimed to assess the consistency with which standard precautions (SPs) among rural and urban EMS providers were used. Methods: This study consisted of a cross-sectional survey conducted with a sample of certified EMS providers in West Virginia in which we ascertained details about sociodemographic characteristics, and the frequency of consistent SP. An email invitation was sent to a comprehensive list of agencies obtained from the Office of West Virginia EMS. Findings: A total of 248 out of 522 (47%) EMS providers completed the survey. The majority of the EMS providers (76%) consistently complied with SPs; however, more than one third (38%) of urban EMS providers indicated inconsistent use compared with 19% of rural EMS providers ( p = .002). Most EMS providers reported low prevention practices to exposure of blood and body fluids in both areas. Conclusion/Application to Practice: The results emphasize the need to enhanced safe work practices among EMS providers in both rural and urban areas through education and increasing self-awareness. Occupational health professional in municipalities that serve these workers are instrumental in ensuring these workers are trained and evaluated for their compliance with SPs while in the field.

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Analysis of the equity of emergency medical services: a cross-sectional survey in Chongqing city

The Lancet ◽

10.1016/s0140-6736(15)00626-1 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 386 ◽

pp. S45

Author(s):

Yalan Liu ◽

Yi Jiang ◽

Shenglan Tang ◽

Qian Long ◽

Jingfu Qiu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Emergency Medical Services ◽

Medical Services ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Emergency Medical ◽

Chongqing City

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The state of emergency medical services and acute health facility care in Uganda: findings from a National Cross-Sectional Survey

BMC Health Services Research ◽

10.1186/s12913-020-05508-8 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Albert Ningwa ◽

Kennedy Muni ◽

Frederick Oporia ◽

Joseph Kalanzi ◽

Esther Bayiga Zziwa ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Emergency Medical Services ◽

Health Facility ◽

The State ◽

Medical Services ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

State Of Emergency ◽

Emergency Medical

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US Emergency Medical Services Fellows

Prehospital and Disaster Medicine ◽

10.1017/s1049023x18000249 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 33 (3) ◽

pp. 339-341 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Brian Clemency ◽

Christian Martin-Gill ◽

Nicole Rall ◽

Dipesh Patel ◽

Jeffery Myers

Keyword(s):

Emergency Medical Services ◽

Fellowship Training ◽

Medical Services ◽

Direct Patient Care ◽

Clinical Aspects ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Publication Type ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Emergency Medical ◽

Primary Reference

AbstractIntroductionThe 2015-2016 academic year was the fourth year since the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME; Chicago, Illinois USA) accredited Emergency Medical Services (EMS) fellowships, and the first year an in-training examination was given. Soon, ACGME-accredited fellowship education will be the sole path to EMS board certification when the practice pathway closes after 2019. This project aimed to describe the current class of EMS fellows at ACGME-accredited programs and their current educational opportunities to better understand current and future needs in EMS fellowship education.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional survey of EMS fellows in ACGME-accredited programs in conjunction with the first EMS In-Training Examination (EMSITE) between April and June 2016. Fellows completed a 14-question survey composed of multiple-choice and free-response questions. Basic frequency statistics were performed on their responses.ResultsFifty fellows from 35 ACGME-accredited programs completed the survey. The response rate was 100%. Forty-eight (96%) fellows reported previous training in emergency medicine. Twenty (40%) were undergoing fellowship training at the same institution as their prior residency training. Twenty-five (50%) fellows performed direct patient care aboard a helicopter during their fellowship. Thirty-three (66%) fellows had a dedicated physician response vehicle for fellows. All fellows reported using the National Association of EMS Physicians (NAEMSP; Overland Park, Kansas USA) textbooks as their primary reference. Fellows felt most prepared for the Clinical Aspects questions and least prepared for Quality Management and Research questions on the board exam.ConclusionThese data provide insight into the characteristics of EMS fellows in ACGME-accredited programs.ClemencyB, Martin-GillC, RallN, PatelD, MyersJ. US Emergency Medical Services fellows. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2018;33(3):339–341.

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