67 The prevalence of occupational injuries among saudi red crescent pre-hospital care providers in jeddah, saudi arabia, 2018

Abstract

Background Pre-hospital care providers were at higher risk of occupational injuries than other medical care providers because of the workplaces and situations they usually deal with. Through observations and repetitive visits to the Saudi Red Crescent Authority (SRCA) stations, the issue was outlined and identified. The sample was collected from SRCA, which is the main emergency medical services authority providing care for patients outside the hospital environment. The pre-hospital care providers in SRCA are divided into three groups: physicians, paramedics, and emergency medical technicians (EMTs). In Saudi Arabia (SA), no studies had been done on pre-hospital occupational injuries; however, some studies on this topic have been done around the world. The aim of this study was to identify the prevalence and risk factors of occupational injuries among SRCA pre-hospital care providers in Jeddah, SA. Methods A cross-sectional study was done using an online questionnaire (Google Forms) to obtain demographic and occupational injuries-related information from 217 SRCA pre-hospital care providers. The sample was collected using a 95% confidence level and 5% margin of error, which was derived from the population number (n=495) of SRCA pre-hospital care providers in Jeddah, SA. Results After the calculations, the study showed a high prevalence of occupational injuries of 52.5% among 137 EMTs, 51 paramedics, and 29 physicians. Participants had an average of 6.63 years’ experience. Back-related injuries were the most common type of injury, resulting in 60 cases among 114 injured participants. Work stress was considered the most common estimated risk factor based on the participants’ questionnaire, with 64 cases. Additionally, no significant difference was found using T-test and Chi-squared test to compare age and experience with different types of occupational injuries. Conclusion Despite the study’s limitations, which affected its accuracy, the study showed a high prevalence of occupational injuries among SRCA pre-hospital care providers in Jeddah, SA. One of these limitations was a small sample size resulting from communication barriers with SRCA. Occupational injuries that affect pre-hospital care providers may reduce the effectiveness of a patient’s health and safety. Future studies should identify and evaluate prevention strategies to increase public health awareness in the pre-hospital setting by highlighting the relationship between healthcare occupational injuries and patients’ outcomes and safety.