Emergency Medical Services, commonly known as EMS, is a coordinated system responsible for the provision of emergency medical care that acts with quick response in case of an emergency. EMS’ responsibilities lie in offering protection to the safety and health welfare of the public. It does this by ensuring that urgent medical services are readily available through use of ambulance services, emergency medical technicians, and emergency medical response agencies. Additionally, EMS has established trauma centers and training entities to help meet or surpass the established standards of emergency care. EMS is also integrated with other systems and services whose aims revolve around maintaining and enhancing the public’s safety and health. Hence, it operates in collaboration with other healthcare providers and the public. A well-coordinated EMS system is always available for any emergency response at any time of the day (NHTSA EMS).
Types of Injuries
Safety at EMS emergencies has been an area of major concern to the providers of EMS. EMS responders in most cases experience injuries that may hamper their service delivery. THE EMS personnel always work beyond people’s expectations to provide emergency response, yet they are also exposed to injury risks in the curse of their duty. The injuries occur due to the physical demands of providing emergency medical services. The most common injuries among the EMS providers include muscular pains, sprains, strains, and exposure to blood and body fluids (US Fire Administration). In most of the injuries, the affected parts of the body were mainly the respiratory system and the back.
The 2012 Injury and Illness data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention presents a condensed view of the number of injuries EMS practitioners experience while on duty. According to the data, majority of EMS workers treated for injuries are mostly men. In both men and women, over half of the treated EMS staff is below 35 years of age. Strains and sprains are the most prevalent type of injury. Most of these injuries occur in the upper and lower trunk of the back. Exertions and bodily reactions formed the largest portion of the injuries. The exertions and bodily reactions resulted mainly during lifting. Exposures to infectious substances such as blood also pose a major risk to the EMS workers (Center for Disease Control and Prevention).
Furthermore, the data provided by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention notes that most strains and sprains resulted from bodily reactions or exertion. Injuries related to falls were significantly minimal since falls are rare occurrences with EMS workers. About one-third of the strain and sprain illnesses resulted from one-on-one contact with the patient.
In a separate study by Maguire and Smith, the fatality rates and the injuries related to work among EMS workers in the USA accounted for a higher percentage of all the national average for all sectors (p. 376). The study relied on the data from Department of Labor (DOL) Bureau of Labor Statistics from 2003 to 2007. The research reveals that from the 21,749 cases reported; 21,690 were non-fatal illnesses or injuries among the EMS staff in the private sector. Seventeen percent of the injuries resulted in the loss of workdays of approximately 31 days. Sprains and strains accounted for 14,470 injuries that translated to 67% of the cases. The reported back injuries were 9,290 cases that represented 43% of the injuries. Patients as source of injuries also accounted for 37% that translated to 7,960 cases. The most prevalent causes were overexertion and fall that accounted for 12,146 (56%) and 2,169 (10%) respectively. Causes related to transportation only resulted in 1,940 injuries that represented 9% of the cases.
Maguire and Smith further reveal the data from the Department of Labor show that paramedics and emergency medical technicians have a higher injury rate than any other occupation in the USA. Transport-related incidents also lead to injuries. In the study, Maguire and Smith also posit that assaults also form part of the causes of causes of the injuries. Females in the EMS field have a greater exposure to injuries than male. These injuries profoundly impact on the ability of the staff to offer their services efficiently and often lead to loss of some work days.
Corrective Actions
Emergency medical services personnel are always exposed to constant threats of injuries and illnesses in their line of duty. Hence, corrective actions must be taken to avert such injuries. Achieving this requires the development and evaluation of interventions aimed at preventing exertion injuries and bodily stress. Corrective actions include the adoption of modern protective apparatus while on duty. For instance, to avert problems that may lead to exposure to infectious substances, the EMS personnel should make use of protective clothing. Protective clothing includes garments, gloves, footwear, face protection devices, and helmets.
Moreover, the EMS personnel should always ensure that their safety comes first before embarking on any urgent aid. During an emergency operation, it is vital to identify and evaluate the existing hazards and exposures before starting the emergency treatment. In cases where the personnel are exposed to dangers and risks, it would be advisable to avoid such an operation.
There should also be regular safety training for the EMS staff. Such practices will seek to enlighten on the emerging trends of injuries and the best ways to handle them. The training should be done annually since the patterns of injuries change rapidly. Additionally, the facilities used by the technicians should comply with the current safety standards to reduce instances of injuries resulting from defective equipment. The training should also focus on the mechanisms of appropriate lifting and carrying of both equipment and patients to minimize cases of back injuries. Also, EMS staffs are encouraged t engage in strategic physical exercise that will help make their core muscles stronger. Strategic physical training also requires maintaining a good dietary plan.
Maguire and Smith recommend that further research should be conducted to come up with evidence-based interventions to assist in minimizing the occurrences of injuries. Apart from the evidence-based interventions, there is a need to create awareness on ergonomics. Ergonomics entails the enhancement of the work environment by making it safer and more dynamic for the staff. Ergonomic injuries come from working under awkward positions and lifting heavy equipment. Creating an ergonomic awareness will help make the workplace better and hence, improve service delivery (US Fire Administration).
In summary, reducing injuries and illnesses faced by the emergency medical experts need a holistic approach. There should be more interventions by the concerned parties, the overall leadership and supporting agencies to come up with ways and means of lessening the rate of injury occurrences. Emergency care providers should also ensure that the moving and lifting equipment suit the daily work of the emergency care personnel.
Works Cited
Center for Disease Control and Prevention. "CDC - Emergency Medical Services Workers: Injury and Illness Data (2012) - NIOSH Workplace Safety and Health Topic." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. N.p., 8 Sept. 2014. Web. 5 Dec. 2014. <http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/ems/data2012.html>.
Maguire, Brian, and Sean Smith. "Injuries and fatalities among emergency medical technicians and paramedics in the United States." Prehospital and Disaster Medicine 28.4 (2013): 376-382. Web. 5 Dec. 2014. <http://www.pubfacts.com/detail/23659321/Injuries-and-fatalities-among-emergency-medical-technicians-and-paramedics-in-the-United-States>.
NHTSA EMS. "What is EMS?" Home | NHTSA EMS. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Dec. 2014. <http://www.ems.gov/whatisems.htm>.
US Fire Administration. "FIRE AND EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES ERGONOMICS." US Fire Administration. N.p., Mar. 1996. Web. 5 Dec. 2014. <https://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/publications/fa-161.pdf>.
