Kim Bongyoung, Kwon Ki Tae, Hwang Soyoon, Ryoo Hyun Wook, Chung Un Sun, Lee So Hee, Lee Ju-Yeon, Park Hye Yoon, Shin Ji-Yeon, Bae Sang-Geun
Department of Internal Medicine, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Kyungpook National University Chilgok Hospital, Daegu, Korea.
Infect Chemother. 2022 Jun;54(2):316-327. doi: 10.3947/ic.2022.0049. Epub 2022 Jun 2.
Throughout the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, not only medical personnel but also paramedics or emergency medical technicians (EMT) have faced multiple physical and psychological challenges while performing their duties. The current study aimed to evaluate the psychological effects of managing patients with COVID-19 on the paramedics and EMT.
A survey targeting paramedics and EMT in Korea was conducted in December 2020. An official letter requesting participation and with the link to an online-based survey was sent to the Public Emergency Medical Services. Only one response was accepted from each participant.
A total of 326 paramedics and EMT responded to the survey. Among them, 66.3% (216/326) had experience in managing patients with COVID-19. No differences in the distribution of sex, age, working area, duration of working experience, and underlying comorbidities were observed between those who did (COVID-19 group) and did not (non-COVID-19 group) experience managing patients with COVID-19. The percentage of participants who showed severe posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms was significantly higher in the COVID group than in the non-COVID group (11.1% 3.6%, = 0.029). The participants in the COVID group had a significantly higher mean Global Assessment of Recent Stress Scale score than those in the non-COVID group (18.7 ± 11.1 16.1 ± 9.9, = 0.042). The proportion of paramedics and EMT willing to leave their job if given a chance was higher in the COVID group than the non-COVID group (24.1% 9.1%, = 0.001). Additionally, paramedics and EMT in the COVID group tended to show concern regarding exposure to COVID-19 infection.
The experience of managing patients with COVID-19 resulted in psychological distress among paramedics and EMT in Korea.
在2019冠状病毒病（COVID-19）大流行期间，不仅医务人员，护理人员或急救医疗技术人员（EMT）在履行职责时也面临着多种身体和心理挑战。本研究旨在评估护理人员和急救医疗技术人员管理COVID-19患者的心理影响。
2020年12月对韩国的护理人员和急救医疗技术人员进行了一项调查。向公共紧急医疗服务机构发送了一封请求参与并带有在线调查链接的官方信函。每位参与者仅接受一份回复。
共有326名护理人员和急救医疗技术人员回复了调查。其中，66.3%（216/326）有管理COVID-19患者的经验。在有（COVID-19组）和没有（非COVID-19组）管理COVID-19患者经验的人员之间，未观察到性别、年龄、工作区域、工作经验时长和潜在合并症分布的差异。COVID组中表现出严重创伤后应激障碍（PTSD）症状的参与者百分比显著高于非COVID组（11.1%对3.6%，P = 0.029）。COVID组参与者的近期应激总体评估量表平均得分显著高于非COVID组（18.7±11.1对16.1±9.9，P = 0.042）。如果有机会，愿意离职的护理人员和急救医疗技术人员的比例在COVID组高于非COVID组（24.1%对9.1%，P = 0.001）。此外，COVID组的护理人员和急救医疗技术人员往往对接触COVID-19感染表示担忧。
在韩国，管理COVID-19患者的经历导致护理人员和急救医疗技术人员出现心理困扰。
