Patient Care and Daily Stress Among Emergency Medical Technicians

Abstract

AbstractIntroduction:There is conflicting research regarding the extent to which patient care is a source of stress for emergency medical technicians (EMTs). Some research indicates that it is important, whereas other studies suggest that it takes a “back seat” to administrative and organizational problems. This study sought to explore this issue further by investigating the relationship between caring for patients, daily workday stress, and daily nonworkday stress among EMTs.Methods:All EMTs employed by East Baton Rouge Parish Emergency Medical Services were eligible for participation. After the study was described, subjects completed a demographic information sheet and informed consent was obtained. Participants then completed 30 days of monitoring with a standardized measure of daily stress (the Daily Stress Inventory) and a measure of patient-care stress designed for use in this study (Emergency Call Questionnaire).Results:A very large portion of the variance in the EMTs' overall daily workday stress was associated with patient care (r = 0.677, p <0.001). Additionally, patient care stress on workdays significantly predicted overall daily stress on the following nonworkday (i.e., post-workday) (r = 0.633, p <0.001). Finally, EMTs who had stressful pre-workdays rated their patient care as more stressful on the following workday (r = 0.512, p <0.01).Conclusions:Results suggest that patient care is a critical factor in daily stress among EMTs, both on workdays and post-workdays, providing preliminary evidence for a carryover effect. Evidence also suggests that stress on the day before work may influence EMTs' perceptions of their patients on workdays.