Prioritization of the injury risk to the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) technicians

The present study aimed to identify and prioritization of injury risk to the EMS technicians of the Disaster and Emergency Medical Management Center in Semnan Province in 2018.

This was a cross-sectional and descriptive study conducted in 2018. The study population consisted of all managers and technicians of the Disaster and Emergency Medical Management Center in Semnan Province. A sample of 20 people was selected through purposeful sampling method. The required data were collected using the literature review and Delphi technique. In the quantitative step also the Analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method was used. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS 21.0 and Expert Choice 10.0 software.

Based on the literature review and Delphi technique results, the occupational injuries to the pre-hospital emergency employees were classified into four groups of physical, psychological, family and occupational injuries. Based on the AHP results, the psychological, physical, family and occupational injuries, with the weights of 0.540, 0.176, 0.172 and 0.11, received the first to fourth priorities, respectively.

Regarding the inevitability of stress and uncontrollable stressors, decreasing the causes of psychological injuries through reducing working hours, adjusting night and evening shifts, organizing welfare programs, etc., as well as taking precautionary measures to reduce physical injuries, reorganizing the employment structure, and passing appropriate supportive laws are necessary.