Exploring Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) Challenges in Providing Pre-Hospital Care During COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Background: Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) face many challenges and problems as the front line of dealing with epidemics including COVID-19. Therefore, the present study was aimed at exploring the challenges of EMTs in providing pre-hospital care during the COVID-19 pandemic.
 Methods: This qualitative research was conventional content analysis conducted between November and December 2021. The participants were 15 emergency medical technicians working in the emergency center 115 in Shahroud selected by purposeful sampling method. Data were collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews at the location of the participants. Then, the codes, subcategories and categories were extracted by inductive process.
 Results: Challenges among EMTs in providing pre-hospital care during the COVID-19 pandemic were categorized under four themes including (1) work factors (high work pressure, non-cooperation of patients, difficulty working with protective equipment) (2) unprepared organization (lack of coordination between medical centers, (3) threatened health (psychological disorders, physical problems) and (4) restless social (challenges with family members, social isolation).
 Conclusion: Health care managers, authorities and policy makers should use effective strategies to prevent and reduce the challenges of EMS workers in order to minimize their negative effects on EMTs and improve the quality of services provided.