TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2016//
TI  - Work-related injuries sustained by emergency medical technicians and paramedics in Turkey
JO  - Ulusal travma ve acil cerrahi dergisi
A1  - Gülen, Bedia
A1  - Serinken, Mustafa
A1  - Hatipoğlu, Celile
A1  - Özaşır, Derya
A1  - Sonmez, Ertan
A1  - Kaya, Gokhan
A1  - Akpınar, Güleser
SP  - 145
EP  - 149
VL  - 22
IS  - 2
N2  - BACKGROUND: Evaluated in the present study were locations, descriptions, and results of work-related injuries (WRIs) sustained by emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and paramedics in Turkey's most crowded city, İstanbul. <br><br>METHODS: After the present study had been accepted by the urban health authority, a questionnaire was emailed to the healthcare personnel of İstanbul's 195 ambulance stations. <br><br>RESULTS: Included in the present study were the responses of 901 members of staff (660 EMTs and 241 paramedics), with a mean age of 29.5±6.1 (min: 18; max: 61). The majority of participants (94.9%) had encountered verbal abuse from the public, and 39.8% had encountered physical violence from patients' relatives. Levels of satisfaction with work in emergency medical services (EMS) was also evaluated, and 510 participants (57.6%) were unhappy. Regarding gender, female employees were more likely to be verbally attacked (p=0.01), while males were more likely to be physically attacked (p=0.001). It was reported that motor vehicle accidents (MVAs) were the most common cause of WRIs (81.4%), followed by needle-stick injuries (52.2%), ocular exposure to blood and other fluids (30.9%), and sharp injuries (22.5%). Only 10.5% (n=95) of WRIs were reported to authorities; 488 (54.2%) of participants just attended to the practice to prevent possible WRIs. <br><br>CONCLUSION: For paramedics and EMTs, risk of WRI is obviously high. Strategies to decrease and prevent verbal and physical violence should be developed.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 1306-696X
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/
ID  - ref1
ER  -