Coping with difficulties faced in pre-hospital healthcare amid pandemics

Abstract

EMS (Call number: 112 in Turkey) encompasses services provided by professional healthcare teams in case of diseases and injuries emerging acutely, accessed expediently following the event, using specialized equipment as necessary. The main purpose of this study is to determine the difficulties faced by 112 pre-hospital healthcare workers (HCWs) in the transfer of patients to hospital, during the COVID-19 pandemic period, and to examine ways to cope with these difficulties, with a case study method that examines unique cases. The study group of the research consists of Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) (n = 15; 30.6%), paramedics (n = 19; 38.8%) and doctors (n = 15; 30.6%). The forty-nine participants who comprise the study group were selected from ‘HCWs who worked in the ambulance service during the transportation of patients with COVID-19 to hospital’. Based on the narratives of the participants, two main themes were determined as difficulties experienced and strategies of coping with these difficulties. Under the theme of difficulties experienced, three subthemes and a total of thirty-one codes were created as problems originating from society, the system and the employee himself. The theme of the strategies used to cope with the difficulties experienced was determined under three subthemes; professional equipment and personal precautions, professional measures and system support. A total of twelve codes were created. The pandemic period has been a time when boundaries and durability have been questioned. The experience obtained during this period is a great knowledge base for future global and mass epidemics, attacks and disasters.