Vol 7, No 3 (2022)
Research paper
Published online: 2022-06-28

open access

Page views 7224
Article views/downloads 438
Get Citation

Connect on Social Media

Connect on Social Media

Evaluation of anxiety and professional competence of prehospital emergency medical personnel in COVID-19 pandemics

Mohammad Heidari1, Sadegh Heydarpoor2, Salman Yadollahi3, Rahim Ali Sheikhi1, Fatemeh Aliakbari4
Disaster Emerg Med J 2022;7(3):150-156.

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Emergency medical services (EMS) are an important part of the health care system. Decision-making is the most important part of their profession because they often have to make quick decisions and act on them despite critical situations. They are often the first to deal with a Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patient and experience severe physical, mental, or moral stress. The aim of this study was to investigate the level of anxiety and professional competence of prehospital emergency medical personnel in the COVID-19 epidemics.
MATERIAL AND METHODS: This descriptive-analytical study was performed in 2021. A total of 200 prehospital emergency medical personnel were included in the study. Sampling method was census using a valid questionnaire of Corona Anxiety Scale and professional competence. Data analysis was performed using SPSS statistical software version 21 via descriptive statistics and analytical tests.
RESULTS: Mean and standard deviation of professional competence and anxiety of emergency medical staff were reported as 82.37 ± 65.13 and 98.17 ± 11.11, respectively. The results of the study on the relationship between the scores of the studied variables showed a significant relationship so that the level of anxiety with competence was remarkably related (p < 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS: The stress and anxiety of the COVID-19 epidemic might have adverse effects on the professional competence of prehospital emergency medical personnel as well as their mental health. Applying strategies to reduce anxiety and attending disaster-related courses could help the quality of EMS by improving professional competence.

Article available in PDF format

View PDF Download PDF file

References

  1. Ezati P, Vaziri M, Adli F. Educational needs assessment in the medical emergency technicians of Tehran emergency center. J Safe Prom and Inj Prevent. 2017; 5(2): 109.
  2. Soloukdar A, Goodarzi B. The Relationship of Agility of Human Resources on Performance of Staffs at Tehran Emergency Center. J Nurs and Physic within War. 2020; 7(22): 27–33.
  3. Torabi M, Borhani F, Abbaszadeh A, et al. Experiences of pre-hospital emergency medical personnel in ethical decision-making: a qualitative study. BMC Med Ethics. 2018; 19(1): 95.
  4. Bahadori M. Emergency Medical Services In Iran: An Overview. Australasian Med J. 2010; 3(6): 335–339.
  5. AliAbadi HE, Rajabi R, Asadi F, et al. Burnout among emergency medical services (EMS) staff. Quarterly J Nurs Manag. 2017; 5(3): 62–70.
  6. Afshari A, Borzou SR, Shamsaei F, et al. Perceived occupational stressors among emergency medical service providers: a qualitative study. BMC Emerg Med. 2021; 21(1): 35–524.
  7. Ilczak T, Rak M, Ćwiertnia M, et al. Predictors of stress among emergency medical personnel during the COVID-19 pandemic. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2021; 34(2): 139–149.
  8. Delirrooyfard A, Masoumi K, Forouzan A. Occupational stress among emergency department nurses of Golestan and Emam Khomeini hospitals in Ahvaz. Jundishapur Sci Med J 2015; 14 (3): 295-300. 2015; 15(3): 295–300.
  9. Hui DS, I Azhar E, Madani TA, et al. The continuing 2019-nCoV epidemic threat of novel coronaviruses to global health - The latest 2019 novel coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, China. Int J Infect Dis. 2020; 91: 264–266.
  10. Wu F, Zhao Su, Yu B, et al. A new coronavirus associated with human respiratory disease in China. Nature. 2020; 579(7798): 265–269.
  11. Knox S, Cullen W, Dunne C. Continuous professional competence (CPC) for emergency medical technicians in Ireland: educational needs assessment. BMC Emerg Med. 2013; 13: 25.
  12. Kim SC, Ro YS, Shin SDo, et al. Assessment of Competence in Emergency Medicine among Healthcare Professionals in Cameroon. J Korean Med Sci. 2017; 32(12): 1931–1937.
  13. AlShammari T, Jennings P, Williams B. National study of emergency medical services core competencies: a confirmatory factor analysis. Australasian Journal of Paramedicine. 2019; 16.
  14. Li Li, Wan C, Ding Ru, et al. Mental distress among Liberian medical staff working at the China Ebola Treatment Unit: a cross sectional study. Health Qual Life Outcomes. 2015; 13: 156.
  15. Jansson J, Josse Eklund A, Larsson M, et al. Prehospital care nurses' self reported competence: A cross-sectional study. Int Emerg Nurs. 2020; 52: 100896.
  16. Sarboozi Hosein Abadi T, Askari M, Miri K, et al. Depression, stress and anxiety of nurses in COVID-19 pandemic in Nohe-Dey Hospital in Torbat-e-Heydariyeh city, Iran. J Mil Med. 2020; 22(6): 526–533.
  17. Hörberg A, Jirwe M, Kalén S, et al. We need support! A Delphi study about desirable support during the first year in the emergency medical service. Scand J Trauma Resusc Emerg Med. 2017; 25(1): 89.
  18. Alipour A, Ghadami A, Alipour Z, et al. Preliminary Validation Of The Corona Disease Anxiety Scale (Cdas) In The Iranian Sample. Quarterly J Health Psychol. 2020; 4(32): 163–175.
  19. Lai J, Ma S, Wang Y, et al. Factors Associated With Mental Health Outcomes Among Health Care Workers Exposed to Coronavirus Disease 2019. JAMA Netw Open. 2020; 3(3): e203976.
  20. Rahmanian M, Kamali A, Mosalanezhad H, et al. A Comparative Study on Anxiety of Medical and Non-medical Staff due to Exposure and Non-exposure ‎to the Novel Coronavirus Disease. J Arak Univ Med Scien. 2020; 23(5): 710–723.
  21. Ghaedamini M, Aliakbari F, Masoudi R, et al. The Relationship Between Emotional Intelligence and Disaster Nursing Competence in Nurses Working in Shahrekord. J Clin Nurs Midwifery. 2019; 7(4): 268–277.
  22. Rahmati A, Mirzadeh AK. The prevalence of coronavirus anxiety: Risk factors and Protectors in students and staff of Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman. Quarterly J Health Psychol. 2021; 10(39): 85–104.
  23. Mutlu H, Sert E, Kokulu K, et al. Anxiety Level in Pre-hospital Emergency Medical Services Personnel During Coronavirus Disease-2019 Pandemic. Eurasian Journal of Emergency Medicine. 2021; 20(1): 43–48.
  24. Vatankhah S, Maleki F, Habibzadeh SR, et al. Anxiety of Medical Staff and Psychological Factors affecting it during the Covid-19 Pandemic in Iran; a Systematic Review Study. Iranian J Emerg Med. 2021; 8(1): e29.
  25. Faustino B, Vasco AB, Delgado J, et al. Early maladaptive schemas and COVID-19 anxiety: The mediational role of mistrustfulness and vulnerability to harm and illness. Clin Psychol Psychother. 2022 [Epub ahead of print].
  26. Taghilou H, Karimi Johani F, Jafarzadeh Gharajag Z. Investigating the Relationship between Burnout and Job Performance in the Corona Epidemic from the Perspective of Nurses. Quarterly J Nurs Manag. 2020; 9(4): 27–33.
  27. Nejadshafiee M, Mirzaee M, Aliakbari F, et al. Hospital nurses’ disaster competencies. Trauma Monthly. 2020; 25(2): 89–95.
  28. Chen HM, Liu CC, Yang SY, et al. Factors Related to Care Competence, Workplace Stress, and Intention to Stay among Novice Nurses during the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Pandemic. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021; 18(4): 2122.
  29. Slobodin O, Kula Y, Clempert N, et al. Building capacity in times of crisis: Increasing cultural competence of healthcare professionals in the context of the COVID-19. J Clin Nurs. 2021 [Epub ahead of print].
  30. Darminto B, Sugandi B. Analysis of Professional Competence of Mathematics Education Students during the Covid-19 Pandemic. Hipotenusa : Journal of Mathematical Society. 2021; 3(1): 80–96.