Reporting for duty during disease outbreaks: the views of EMS providers

Trainor, Joseph E.In the last century, our globe has been affected by a number of notable pandemics. The Spanish flu pandemic of 1918-1919 infected one third of the world’s population and killed an astonishing 50 million people (Fineberg, 2014). Since this pandemic, the deadliest in recorded history, several other disease outbreaks have swept through the world, including “Swine Flu” in 2009, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003, and Ebola in early 2014. The number of people who have died of flu in the last century exceeds anything else in history (Bunting, 2008). Among those who became ill or lost their lives during these more recent disease outbreaks were a disproportionate number of healthcare providers (Singer et al., 2003). ☐ An essential component of the healthcare system that is expected to be in the frontlines during public health emergencies is the emergency medical services (EMS). Yet, this system is exceptionally understudied when it comes to working during disasters and public health emergencies. This study, therefore, assesses EMS providers’ views about working during the events such as disease outbreaks and explores the factors that may influence their willingness to continue working during such situations. ☐ This study uses a mixed methods approach, which was implemented in two phases. In the first phase, interviews were conducted to assess the views of EMS providers about working during disease outbreaks, and the factors that may influence their decision-making related to whether to report to work. ATLAS.ti was used during analysis to code data and develop themes of study. In the second phase, an online survey was developed and disseminated using the Qualtrics software to assess the extent to which EMS providers are willing to work during disease outbreaks. The survey is also used to assess how the factors that were explored in the first phase could influence the decision-making process on reporting for duty. SPSS was used to analyze data, create descriptive statistics, and assess for significance. ☐ This project presents interesting findings. The interviews show that while participants are “excited” to work during natural disasters, they are a little concerned about working during disease outbreaks. Yet, their concerns may not prevent them from fulfilling their work obligations. Family safety, training, resources, and confidence in their employer are among the most important factors viewed to influence the decision to come to work during disease outbreaks. The interviews showed high confidence in the employer to provide training, resources, and other measures to keep the providers and their families safe. It seems that the influencing factors have less of potential effects than expected and reported in prior research studies. The survey supported the interview findings in some ways, but contradicted them in others. ☐ This study provides the base upon which EMS, public health, and emergency management agencies can formulate actions that emerged from the views of EMS providers concerning work during disasters and public health emergencies. They can obtain insights from the findings of this project to develop their plans and implement strategies that enhance the safety in the workplace that, in turn, bolster the dedication and willingness of EMS providers to stay on to work during such conditions.University of Delaware, School of Public Policy and AdministrationPh.D