Working in prehospital emergency contexts: Stress, coping and support from the perspective of ambulance personnel
International Journal of Workplace Health Management
ISSN: 1753-8351
Article publication date: 29 October 2019
Abstract
Purpose
Ambulance personnel face a diversity of stressful events that could be potentially traumatic, putting their health and well-being at risk. The purpose of this paper is to explore, from this group perspective, sources of stress, coping strategies and support measures.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors interviewed 14 ambulance workers of Portuguese Red Cross local structures from the north of Portugal. Data were analyzed according to thematic analysis procedures.
Findings
The authors identified three themes: operational and organizational factors, control and predictability; anticipating scenarios, focusing on procedures and dealing with reactions; and from undervalued support to support as routine. Dealing with human lives, the unpredictability of calls and working under pressure are the main sources of stress, causing, in some of them, insomnia, fatigue, anxiety and intrusive thoughts. Road accidents, situations involving children and cardiac arrest are the most distressing events. During events, they cope focusing on technical procedures, but after them they prefer to talk with colleagues and seek support from family and friends. All participants emphasize the inexistence of structured support measures.
Practical implications
It is important to develop support measures tailored to ambulance personnel’s needs, leading to enhancements of theirs work performance, health and well-being.
Originality/value
Contrarily to most of the studies that explore mostly PTSD and/or burnout, the authors explored, from the perspective of professionals, other dimensions such as sources of stress, coping strategies and support measures, adopting a qualitative approach, which has been rarely used.
Keywords
Citation
Oliveira, A.C., Neto, F., Teixeira, F. and Maia, Â. (2019), "Working in prehospital emergency contexts: Stress, coping and support from the perspective of ambulance personnel", International Journal of Workplace Health Management, Vol. 12 No. 6, pp. 469-482. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJWHM-01-2019-0004
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited