Physical, Psychosocial, Occupational Problems and Protection Behaviors Experienced by Pre-Hospital Emergency Healthcare Professionals During The COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Aim: COVID-19 pandemic has become one of the most critical health problems of the 21st century. Healthcare workers undoubtedly fulfil the most crucial task of combating this critical health problem all over the world. This study was carried out to determine the experiences of pre-hospital emergency healthcare workers during the COVID-19 process. Material and Method: This descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted on 204 healthcare workers working in Kayseri province, Turkey's pre-hospital emergency health services. Results: 50.5% of the participants were women, 69.1% were married, and the average age was 31.7 ± 5.8. 45.6% of them were working as an Emergency Medical Technician, and 85.8% were university graduates. 99.0% of the participants state that the workload had increased during the COVID-19 process. 42.2% of the participants had a coronavirus test and 27.9% of those who had the test had a positive test result. During the COVID-19 process, 14.7% of participants were separated from their families, which adversely affected 90.0% psychologically. While it appears that the participants used personal protective equipment during the COVID-19 process, this increase was 98.5% in wearing a mask. 70.6% of the participants stated an increase in violence against healthcare workers during the COVID-19 process, and 63.7% of them indicated that they experienced violence during this period. Conclusions: During the COVID-19 process, the workload of pre-hospital emergency healthcare workers increased. As a society, support should be given to the combat against the pandemic by following precautions and to healthcare workers due to their devoted work.