Road ambulances: working conditions of paramedics – pilot studies

• Authors: Sylwia Bęczkowska , Iwona Grabarek , Sławomir Pilip , Leszek Szpakowski , Robert Gałązkowski

Abstracts

EN

ObjectivesThe article presents the results of selected pilot studies conducted in medical ambulances. Their aim was to determine the working conditions and identify troublesome factors accompanying the performance of basic medical procedures by rescue teams.Material and MethodsThe study of working conditions was carried out in Mercedes-Benz ambulances, type S and P. Fifty-one paramedics of the Emergency Medical Rescue Service in Siedlce took part in the research. The questionnaire expert survey method and the direct observation method were used.ResultsAs a result of the applied research methods, knowledge was gained on the irregularities and difficulties that occur at the workplace of a paramedic, i.e., in an ambulance, including the lack of access to essential elements of medical equipment and their different location inside the vehicle, and the diversity of solutions for the spatial structure of ambulances, which all cause difficulties at work. Research has shown that paramedics take, on average, 33 min to familiarize themselves with the location of equipment in an ambulance other than the one in which they are usually on duty. There was no correlation between the lifeguard’s length of service and the time necessary for getting acquainted with the equipment, which was studied using Pearson’s correlation coefficient. In the study, rescuers also pointed to musculoskeletal ailments, mainly spinal pains resulting from taking forced positions during medical activities in an ambulance.ConclusionsThe results obtained constitute the basis for the author’s methodology of complex research aimed at defining the ergonomic recommendations necessary in the modification process of the operated medical fleet. The next step will be to formulate uniform guidelines for the construction of medical compartments of ambulances, the application of which will lead to the unification of their spatial structure regardless of the vehicle brand.

Keywords

EN

questionnaire survey; paramedics; occupational hazard; ergonomic; musculoskeletal discomfort; ambulances

• Publisher: Instytut Medycyny Pracy im. prof. dra Jerzego Nofera w Łodzi
• Journal: International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health
• Year: 2019
• Volume: 33
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 91-105

Dates

published

2020

Contributors

author

Sylwia Bęczkowska

• Warsaw University of Technology, Warsaw, Poland (Faculty of Transport, Division of Information and Mechatronic Systems in Transport)

author

Iwona Grabarek

• Warsaw University of Technology, Warsaw, Poland (Faculty of Transport, Division of Information and Mechatronic Systems in Transport)

author

Sławomir Pilip

• Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland (Department of Emergency Medical Services)

author

Leszek Szpakowski

• Emergency Medical Rescue Service, Siedlce, Poland

author

Robert Gałązkowski

• Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland (Department of Emergency Medical Services)

Identifiers

DOI

10.13075/ijomeh.1896.01479

Biblioteka Nauki

2116733