Perceived human factors from the perspective of paramedics - a qualitative interview study.
BMC Emerg Med
; 22(1): 178, 2022 11 11.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-36368934
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
The work environment in prehospital emergency medical care setting is dynamic and complex and includes many stressors. However, little is known about the perceived human factors from the perspective of paramedics. In this study, we investigated, from the perspective of paramedics, what are the human factors, and how are they linked to prehospital emergency medical care?METHODS:
Data were collected through semi-structured interviews (n = 15) with Finnish paramedics. The material was analyzed using inductive content analysis.RESULTS:
Three main categories of human factors were identified. The first main category consisted of factors related to work which were divided into two generic categories "Challenging organizational work environment" and "Changing external work environment." The second main category comprised factors related to paramedics themselves and were divided into three generic categories "Issues linked to personality," "Personal experiences", and "Factors resulting from personal features." The third main category described that paramedics have difficulties in understanding and describing human factors.CONCLUSION:
This study revealed numerous factors that can affect paramedics' work in the EMS setting. Increased knowledge about human factors in the EMS setting provides organizations with the opportunity to develop procedures that can support paramedics' cognitive and physical work. Human factors in different situations can be addressed to improve occupational and patient safety.Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Emergency Medical Services
/
Emergency Medical Technicians
Type of study:
Prognostic_studies
/
Qualitative_research
Limits:
Humans
Country/Region as subject:
Europa
Language:
En
Journal:
BMC Emerg Med
Journal subject:
MEDICINA DE EMERGENCIA
Year:
2022
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Finlandia