Development of examination objectives for the Korean paramedic and emergency medical technician examination: a survey study.

PURPOSE: The duties of paramedics and emergency medical technicians (P&EMTs) are continuously changing due to developments in medical systems. This study presents evaluation goals for P&EMTs by analyzing their work, especially the tasks that new P&EMTs (with less than 3 years' experience) find difficult, to foster the training of P&EMTs who could adapt to emergency situations after graduation. METHODS: A questionnaire was created based on prior job analyses of P&EMTs. The survey questions were reviewed through focus group interviews, from which 253 task elements were derived. A survey was conducted from July 10, 2023 to October 13, 2023 on the frequency, importance, and difficulty of the 6 occupations in which P&EMTs were employed. RESULTS: The P&EMTs' most common tasks involved obtaining patients' medical histories and measuring vital signs, whereas the most important task was cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The task elements that the P&EMTs found most difficult were newborn delivery and infant CPR. New paramedics reported that treating patients with fractures, poisoning, and childhood fever was difficult, while new EMTs reported that they had difficulty keeping diaries, managing ambulances, and controlling infection. CONCLUSION: Communication was the most important item for P&EMTs, whereas CPR was the most important skill. It is important for P&EMTs to have knowledge of all tasks; however, they also need to master frequently performed tasks and those that pose difficulties in the field. By deriving goals for evaluating P&EMTs, changes could be made to their education, thereby making it possible to train more capable P&EMTs.

Survival to admission after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Seoul, South Korea.

PURPOSE: Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) data derived according to the Utstein Style guidelines was used to try to determine factors influencing survival to admission (STA) and epidemiological rates of OHCA. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was an observational study of all age groups based on data from prehospital care reports in Seoul, South Korea. The collected data were reported according to the Utstein Style template for OHCA and analyzed in order to compare STA with non-STA. Univariate analysis was conducted using a binomial logistic regression model to identify predictors associated with trauma patients. RESULTS: Eighty-three (4.8%) OHCA survivors were admitted to the emergency department with carotid pulse. The median time from arrest to emergency medical personnel defibrillation was statistically significantly shorter in STA cases (8.0 minutes) than in non-STA cases (12.0 minutes; P<0.001). Factors independently associated with better prognosis in terms of trauma patients were female sex (odds ratio [OR]: 0.67; 95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 0.50-0.91; P=0.01), arrest at home (OR: 0.36; 95% CI: 0.27-0.49; P<0.001), and witnessed arrest (OR: 2.64; 95% CI: 1.94-3.39; P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Early basic life support, performed by either a layperson or emergency medical personnel, had a positive effect on STA. Male sex, arrest outside of the home, and witnessed arrest are significantly associated with trauma.