Health Problems in Ambulance Services: A Systematic Review
Author Information
Author(s): Tom Sterud, Øivind Ekeberg, Erlend Hem
Primary Institution: University of Oslo
Hypothesis
Do ambulance personnel have more health problems compared with other occupational groups?
Conclusion
Ambulance workers experience more health problems than the general working population and other health occupations.
Supporting Evidence
- Ambulance workers have a higher standardized mortality rate than the general population.
- Over 20% of ambulance workers reported post-traumatic stress symptoms.
- Ambulance workers experience more musculoskeletal problems than the general population.
- The prevalence of anxiety and general psychopathology is high among ambulance workers.
Takeaway
Ambulance workers often have more health issues than other jobs, like stress and injuries, but we need more studies to be sure.
Methodology
A systematic review of 49 studies on health problems among ambulance personnel, using various electronic databases.
Potential Biases
Potential biases due to non-representative samples and varying methodologies across studies.
Limitations
Many studies had small sample sizes, non-representative samples, and lacked comparisons with normative data.
Participant Demographics
Studies included ambulance workers from various countries including the USA, UK, Sweden, and others.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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