| Opis: | Introduction: Emergency medical personnel play a key role in providing rapid, professional, and effective care to patients in critical conditions. Their work requires constant readiness, quick reactions, and the ability to make decisions under pressure, as they often face unpredictable, demanding, and potentially dangerous circumstances. In addition to physical strain, such as moving and carrying patients, performing rescue procedures, and being exposed to various weather conditions, these professionals are also at risk of injury. Working in emergency medical services is not only physically demanding but also poses significant psychological challenges. The purpose of the research is to examine injuries among employees in pre-hospital emergency medical care.
Methods: We used a quantitative method to conduct the research. A questionnaire was employed as the instrument, and we reviewed both foreign and domestic literature, which we searched for in the following databases Google Scholar, PubMed, COBISS, and dLib. The research was conducted between November 2024 and February 2025, and employees of the National Emergency Medical Service were included using the snowball sampling method. A total of 100 respondents participated in the study, and the collected data were analyzed using Microsoft Office Excel 2021.
Results: The survey revealed that 41 respondents (41 %) had been employed in the EMS for less than 4 years, which could lead to carelessness due to a lack of experience. Additionally, the survey indicated that 45 respondents (45 %) had experienced neck pain or discomfort at least once, 41 respondents (41 %) had experienced shoulder pain at least once, 43 respondents (43 %) had experienced upper back pain at least once, and 49 respondents (49 %) had experienced lower back pain at least once. The issues listed are among the most common and have a high recurrence rate. Furthermore, injuries and pain in the shoulders, wrists, hands, hips, thighs, knees, ankles, or feet are also relatively common.
Discussion: In the study, we found that the most common injuries and issues among employees in EMS workers are related to the lower back, neck, upper back, and shoulders, likely due to the physically demanding nature of the work, including lifting and moving patients, as well as working in unfavorable ergonomic positions. These issues affect employees physical capabilities, reduce the speed and efficiency of patient care, and jeopardize their overall work capacity. Some problems are short-term and occasional, while others become chronic and have long-term impacts on health and work ability. Consequently, this leads to reduced productivity, the need to adapt work tasks, absenteeism, additional strain on colleagues, and staffing challenges. In the long term, it increases the risk of burnout and early retirement, negatively affecting the stability of the workforce. |
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