본문 바로가기
KERD
논문KCI 등재

Psychological Effects of COVID-19 Patient Management Experience among Paramedics and Emergency Medical Technicians: A Nationwide Survey in Korea

0

조회

0

다운로드

3

인용

0

참고문헌

키워드

주제분류내과학

초록

Background: Throughout the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, not only medical personnel but also paramedics or emergency medical technicians (EMT) have faced multiple physical and psychological challenges while performing their duties. The current study aimed to evaluate the psychological effects of managing patients with COVID-19 on the paramedics and EMT. Materials and methods: A survey targeting paramedics and EMT in Korea was conducted in December 2020. An official letter requesting participation and with the link to an online-based survey was sent to the Public Emergency Medical Services. Only one response was accepted from each participant. Results: A total of 326 paramedics and EMT responded to the survey. Among them, 66.3% (216/326) had experience in managing patients with COVID-19. No differences in the distribution of sex, age, working area, duration of working experience, and underlying comorbidities were observed between those who did (COVID-19 group) and did not (non-COVID-19 group) experience managing patients with COVID-19. The percentage of participants who showed severe posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms was significantly higher in the COVID group than in the non-COVID group (11.1% vs. 3.6%, P = 0.029). The participants in the COVID group had a significantly higher mean Global Assessment of Recent Stress Scale score than those in the non-COVID group (18.7 ± 11.1 vs. 16.1 ± 9.9, P = 0.042). The proportion of paramedics and EMT willing to leave their job if given a chance was higher in the COVID group than the non-COVID group (24.1% vs. 9.1%, P = 0.001). Additionally, paramedics and EMT in the COVID group tended to show concern regarding exposure to COVID-19 infection. Conclusion: The experience of managing patients with COVID-19 resulted in psychological distress among paramedics and EMT in Korea.

Abstract

Background: Throughout the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, not only medical personnel but also paramedics or emergency medical technicians (EMT) have faced multiple physical and psychological challenges while performing their duties. The current study aimed to evaluate the psychological effects of managing patients with COVID-19 on the paramedics and EMT. Materials and methods: A survey targeting paramedics and EMT in Korea was conducted in December 2020. An official letter requesting participation and with the link to an online-based survey was sent to the Public Emergency Medical Services. Only one response was accepted from each participant. Results: A total of 326 paramedics and EMT responded to the survey. Among them, 66.3% (216/326) had experience in managing patients with COVID-19. No differences in the distribution of sex, age, working area, duration of working experience, and underlying comorbidities were observed between those who did (COVID-19 group) and did not (non-COVID-19 group) experience managing patients with COVID-19. The percentage of participants who showed severe posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms was significantly higher in the COVID group than in the non-COVID group (11.1% vs. 3.6%, P = 0.029). The participants in the COVID group had a significantly higher mean Global Assessment of Recent Stress Scale score than those in the non-COVID group (18.7 ± 11.1 vs. 16.1 ± 9.9, P = 0.042). The proportion of paramedics and EMT willing to leave their job if given a chance was higher in the COVID group than the non-COVID group (24.1% vs. 9.1%, P = 0.001). Additionally, paramedics and EMT in the COVID group tended to show concern regarding exposure to COVID-19 infection. Conclusion: The experience of managing patients with COVID-19 resulted in psychological distress among paramedics and EMT in Korea.

참고문헌 (25)

  1. Chen N, "Epidemiological and clinical characteristics of 99 cases of 2019 novel coronavirus pneumonia in Wuhan, China : a descriptive study", Lancet, 395, pp.507~513 (2020)
  2. Jin Yong Kim, "The First Case of 2019 Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia Imported into Korea from Wuhan, China: Implication for Infection Prevention and Control Measures", Journal of Korean Medical Science, 35(5), pp.1~4 (2020), 대한의학회[DOI]
  3. Choi WS, "Community treatment centers for isolation of asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic patients with coronavirus disease, South Korea", Emerg Infect Dis, 26, pp.2338~2345 (2020)
  4. Shahzad F, "Perceived threat of COVID-19contagion and frontline paramedics’ agonistic behaviour : Employing a stressor-strain-outcome perspective", Int J Environ Res Public Health, 17, pp.5102~ (2020)
  5. Park SY, "Psychological distress among infectious disease physicians during the response to the COVID-19 outbreak in the Republic of Korea", BMC Public Health, 20, pp.1811~ (2020)
  6. Scheaffer RL, "Elementary survey sampling", pp.2012, Brooks
  7. 정영은, "A Brief Screening Tool for PTSD: Validation of the Korean Version of the Primary Care PTSD Screen for DSM-5 (K-PC-PTSD-5)", Journal of Korean Medical Science, 33(52), pp.1~5 (2018), 대한의학회
  8. Bastien CH, "Validation of the Insomnia Severity Index as an outcome measure for insomnia research", Sleep Med, 2, pp.297~307 (2001)
  9. Peterson U, "Work characteristics and sickness absence in burnout and nonburnout groups : A study of Swedish health care workers", Int J Stress Manag, 15, pp.153~172 (2008)
  10. Chung K, "Response time as an implicit self-schema indicator for depression among undergraduate students : Preliminary findings from a mobile app-based depression assessment", JMIR Mhealth Uhealth, 7, pp.e14657~ (2019)
  11. Spitzer RL, "A brief measure for assessing generalized anxiety disorder : the GAD-7", Arch Intern Med, 166, pp.1092~1097 (2006)
  12. Chong MY, "Psychological impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome on health workers in a tertiary hospital", Br J Psychiatry, 185, pp.127~133 (2004)
  13. 엄대현, "메르스(Middle East Respiratory Syndrome)의 유행이 의사의 정신건강에 미치는 영향 : 확진자 발생 병원 근무 여부, 메르스 진료 참여 여부에 따른 비교", 신경정신의학, 56(1), pp.28~34 (2017), 대한신경정신의학회[DOI]
  14. Firew T, "Protecting the front line : a cross-sectional survey analysis of the occupational factors contributing to healthcare workers’ infection and psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic in the USA", BMJ Open, 10, pp.e042752~ (2020)
  15. Vanhaecht K, "COVID-19 is having a destructive impact on health-care workers’ mental well-being", Int J Qual Health Care, 33, pp.mzaa158~ (2021)
  16. Jo SH, "The psychological impact of the coronavirus disease pandemic on hospital workers in Daegu, South Korea", Compr Psychiatry, 103, pp.152213~ (2020)
  17. Choi MY, "Mental and physical factors influencing wellbeing among South Korean emergency workers", Int J Environ Res Public Health, 18, pp.70~ (2020)
  18. Tan BYQ, "Burnout and associated factors among health care workers in Singapore during the COVID-19 pandemic", J Am Med Dir Assoc, 21, pp.1751~1758 (2020)
  19. Tuan NQ, "Prevalence and factors associated with psychological problems of healthcare workforce in Vietnam:Findings from COVID-19 hotspots in the national second wave", Healthcare(Basel), 9, pp.718~ (2021)
  20. Lee Ju-Yeon, "The Experiences of Health Care Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Korea: a Qualitative Study", Journal of Korean Medical Science, 36(23), pp.1~15 (2021), 대한의학회[DOI]
  21. Awais SB, "Paramedics in pandemics : protecting the mental wellness of those behind enemy lines", Br J Psychiatry, 218, pp.75~76 (2021)
  22. Wang W, "Sleep disturbance and psychological profiles of medical staffand non-medical staffduring the early outbreak of COVID-19 in Hubei Province, China", Front Psychiatry, 11, pp.733~ (2020)
  23. Dopelt K, "Factors that affect Israeli paramedics’ decision to quit the profession : a mixed methods study", Isr J Health Policy Res, 8, pp.78~ (2019)
  24. Eftekhar Ardebili M, "Healthcare providers experience of working during the COVID-19 pandemic : A qualitative study", Am J Infect Control, 49, pp.547~554 (2021)
  25. Seong H, "Comparison of the second and third waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea : Importance of early public health intervention", Int J Infect Dis, 104, pp.742~745 (2021)

관련 논문AI추천

이 간행물의 다른 논문 (24건)