A survey of work status of a local emergency medical services (EMS) personnel and the perception between EMS personnel and medical directors about on-line medical oversight

Park, Song Yi; Ryu, Ji Ho; Kim, Sun Hyu; Choi, Byung Ho; Kim, Seong Chun; Lim, Dae Sung; Bae, Byung Kwan

J Korean Soc Emerg Med > Volume 31(5); 2020 > Article

Original Article

Journal of The Korean Society of Emergency Medicine 2020;31(5): 483-503.

일개 지역 구급대원의 업무 현황 및 직접의료지도에 대한 구급대원과 의료지도의사의 인식 조사

박송이¹

¹동아대학교 의과대학 응급의학교실
²부산대학교 의과대학 응급의학교실
³울산대학교 의과대학 응급의학교실
⁴경상대학교 의과대학 응급의학교실

A survey of work status of a local emergency medical services (EMS) personnel and the perception between EMS personnel and medical directors about on-line medical oversight

¹Department of Emergency Medicine, Dong-A University College of Medicine, Dong-A University Hospital, Busan, Korea
²Department of Emergency Medicine, Pusan National University College of Medicine, Pusan National University Hospital, Busan, Korea
³Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Ulsan University Hospital, Ulsan, Korea
⁴Department of Emergency Medicine, Gyeongsang National University College of Medicine, Gyeongsang National University Changwon Hospital, Changwon, Korea

Correspondence

Ji Ho Ryu ,Tel: 055-360-2143, Fax: 055-360-2173, Email: pnuyhem@gmail.com,

Received: September 23, 2019; Revised: December 9, 2019 Accepted: April 29, 2020. Published online: October 30, 2020.

ABSTRACT

Objective:
This study investigated the current work status of emergency medical services (EMS) personnel and the differences in perception between EMS personnel and medical directors (MD) regarding on-line medical oversight in a province.
Method:
A total of 1,781 EMS personnel and 51 medical directors were surveyed. The questionnaire consisted of the basic demographic data, work status, perception of on-line medical oversight, and the upcoming national pilot project of the expanding firefighter EMS personnel’s clinical scope. The survey was conducted from May 17 to 27, 2019.
Results:
The response rates for EMS personnel and MD were 73.7% and 65.3%, respectively. Of the local EMS personnel, 86.8% were male. The average age and field career was 33.5±6.2 years and 50 months, respectively. The proportion of nurse and 1st-grade emergency medical technicians were 30.6% and 35.7%. The EMS personnel and MD answered ‘on-scene basic life support’ and ‘patient’s refusal of transport’, respectively, as the most unnecessary medical oversight. Both responded to the main problem of current medical oversight as ‘request for unnecessary medical oversight.’ EMS personnel responded that all items in the national pilot project of expanding firefighter EMS personnel’s clinical scope would be helpful, while MD reported that only ‘use of epinephrine in anaphylactic patient’ and ‘use of pre-hospital 12 lead electrocardiogram in chest pain patient’ would helpful (P<0.01).
Conclusion:
There was a certain difference in perception of the most unnecessary medical oversight and the upcoming national pilot project of expanding the clinical scope of firefighter EMS personnel between EMS personnel and MD.

Key words: Emergency medical services; Emergency medical technicians; Physician executives; Recognition