What are EMS workers often injured by?

Occupational Injuries Among Emergency Responders

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE 53: 1-11 (2010)

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This study studied the characteristics and occupational injury rates of Emergency Responders group officers, namely

1.EMS (Emergency Medical Services)

2.FF / FFT (Firefighter)

3.LEO / PO (Law Enforcement Officer / Police Officer)

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📊 Methods

- Use data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System-Occupational Supplement (NEISS-Work).

- This is a sampling of 67 emergency rooms across the United States in 2000-2001 using * * Geographically Stratified Probability Sample * * (Geographically Stratified Sample).

- Calculate the Statistical Weight

📌 to predict the National Injury Estimates.

📌 Focus on Nonfatal Occupational Injuries and Illnesses

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🔎 Results

Overall Responder Injuries

1.Law Enforcement Officers suffered a maximum of 52% casualties (64,800 cases).

2. Firefighters 30% (37,300 cases)

3.EMS Personnel 18% (21,900 cases)

Compute per FTE (Full-time Equivalent)

1.Police Officers (8.5 cases per 100 FTE)

2.Career Firefighters (7.4 cases per 100 FTE)

3. EMS Personnel

- 3.0 cases per 100 FTE when thinking according to the certified database.

- 4.9 cases per 100 FTE when accounted for, according to the employment database.

✅ Almost All Treated in the ED and Released - > Mild

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💪🏼 Injury Diagnoses & Body Partners

1.Sprains and Strains 🚨 33-41% of all occupational groups

2. The most frequently injured body components in the overall picture are

- Upper Extremities > Lower Extremities for Fire and Police Groups

- EMS is 29% Neck & Back

🙌🏼 The common injuries, Sprains and Strains in the EMS group occurred in Lower Trunk, accounting for 49% of the group.

📝, with the main mechanism coming from Bodily Reaction and Exertion / Overexertion.

... and in the paper made a reference to Gershon et al. [1995] where he said that "" handling of stretchers "was the main cause of back pain.

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👩🏻‍⚕️ And for EMS, Needlestick & Harmful Exposures were 2 = 21% of all injuries.

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💡 Limitations

1. Acquired data have a very high Underestimate chance (in the article, 'Under-representation' or 'Undercounting' is used).

- According to data collection limited to the emergency room. In practice, light symptoms such as Sprains and Strains may be treated by staff at clinics or other departments.

- Employment data calculated such as non-certified EMTs and Volunteer Firefighters are not calculated.

- Certified data. Some people may be counted twice if they get two cer. The proportion that comes to the illness rate is further confused.

- On the other hand, an officer who has been discontinued but is still registered in the system may also affect the calculation error% injury.

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🌻 Suggestions

1. Organize training

- Safer Body Postures and Movements

- Systematic Muscle Training - Targeted Strength and Flexibility Programs

- Improved Physical Fitness

2.Obvious Equipment: As remarked above, if the Stretcher lifting gesture is only a certain cradle, the equipment should be improved.

3. Strains and Sprains and Needlestick injuries are preventable problems. Systematic training and management should be carried out.

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Reference: Reichard AA, Jackson LL. Occupational injuries among emergency responders.Am J Ind Med.2010 Jan; 53 (1): 1-11. doi: 10.1002 / ajim.20772.PMID: 19894221.

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📑 Note to Self - End with a self-written note after reading.

1.Interesting research methodology

- This study is not a passive retention of information from medical records, but a random retention and reverse calculation that we see infrequently.

- But before this kind of data, there must be a good storage system.

- You see, he used a lot of data to compute.

2. From personal experience

- As far as lifting gestures are observed during teaching, many people "lift their shoulders" rather than their legs. Personally, it is thought to be related to EMS, a lot of pain in the neck and back... good, bad, maybe a pain that people overlook as being caused by lifting.

- Especially the more medically competent personnel, such as paramedics, nurses, physicians. These are not the ones who practice physical activity deftly. Many people do not seem very close to the body. The pain can follow.

No one has two days of back pain, it's a chronic disease, and we go to the physician, we don't go to the ER. If you see that you've gone to the ER a lot, go to the physical clinic and the Thai massage parlor should be times 4 or you 5.

3. Record for doing future research

- Should try this kind of data.

- Find out where it hurts. Why?

- Design specific training to prevent future pain.

- Develop more friendly devices... These days, there's research pushing Powered Cots to reduce muscle load more.

- Let's study the costs we give to massage parlors or physical clinics as a proportion to income. It would be nice to deduct taxes.

Note: There is a Day-Away-From-Work section, but it is not mentioned in this post.

Taker Note: Jugjun Ussahgij, MD

# Doctor Cicada tells a story # EMS # paramedic # Backinjury