PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to examine the work experiences of nurses working as 119 paramedics and to provide basic information to develop administrative and institutional support system for the nurses. METHOD: The data were collected from December, 2007 to July, 2008 and analyzed using the phenomenological method provided by Munhall and Boyd. Participants of this study were 7 nurses currently working as 119 paramedics and who were willing to fully express their experiences. The grand mal question used in this study was "How is your work experience as an 119 paramedic?" RESULT: Narratives of the participants were analyzed and divided into 3 categories such as 'recognizing', 'withdrawal', and 'confrontation'. CONCLUSION: The results showed even if the participants think of their tasks fulfilling and be proud, they have some difficulties due to restrictions of tasks and work environment. Based on the findings, we suggest developing educational programs to improve their task abilities, establishing safety policy and compensatory reward system according to their accomplishments, and providing counseling opportunities for their traumatic experiences with difficult emotion.
Allied Health Personnel ; Counseling ; Humans ; Reward

Aid post orderlies in one district of the Southern Highlands Province were trained to give immunizations to children as part of the Expanded Programme on Immunization. The performance of the aid post orderlies (APOs) as immunizers is compared with that of the traditional maternal and child health (MCH) team. Also the results of the combined efforts of the APOs and MCH sisters in this pilot district are compared with those in a control district. The joint APO-MCH effort was more successful than the traditional approach in reaching national immunization targets.
Allied Health Personnel ; Human ; Immunization Schedule ; Infant ; Papua New Guinea

Brain tumor registry is an essential element of brain tumor control strategy, providing epidemiological, management, and outcome data for patients with brain tumor. To establish a well documented and sustainable assessment of brain tumor data in Korea, the Korean Brain Tumor Study Group prepared Korean Brain Tumor Registry, which is a collaborative study involving all of the neurosurgical training hospitals in Korea. The participating hospitals will collect epidemiololgical data for the malignant, benign, uncertain and unspecified tumors of the brain. The 10th Revision of the ICD and the morphlolgy rubrics of the second edition of the ICD-O will be used to meet the international standards of tumor registry. The annual study will provide clinical information that will be disseminated to physicians, allied health personnel, administrators, health care planner, and public and private agencies. The final goal of this study is to establish the population-based national brain tumor registry.
Administrative Personnel ; Allied Health Personnel ; Brain Neoplasms* ; Brain* ; Delivery of Health Care ; Epidemiology ; Humans ; Korea ; Neurosurgery

Gachon Medical School developed an "Experience-based Sharing Program" as a component of its "Patients, Doctors and Society" course. The program was designed to familiarize preclinical students with the various roles which patients and hospital personnel take on in the hospital setting by directly experiencing these roles and performing the same daily routines that these personnel perform. The unit was organized as a 6-day program for 2nd and 3rd year students during the winter recess. Distinguishing features of the course are that it encouraged (1) the active participation of students in the daily hospital activities which various hospital personnel perform other than providing direct medical care within the hospital setting, (2) non-faculty hospital personnel to function as educational facilitators, (3) the development of medical students interpersonal skills with various groups of hospital staff and patients, and (4) students to engage in self-evaluation by requiring them to report on their experience. We conclude that the program is useful and essential in motivating students to understand the roles of their future coworkers in medical practice, in developing students interpersonal skills with the goal that they will be better doctors, and in encouraging paramedical personnel to be facilitators in educating medical students.
Allied Health Personnel ; Diagnostic Self Evaluation ; Humans ; Learning* ; Personnel, Hospital* ; Schools, Medical ; Students, Medical*

PURPOSE: This study aims to examine the relationships among experiences of traumatic events, post-traumatic stress (PTS), and the needs for health promotion programs of 119 paramedics. METHODS: Experiences of traumatic events, PTS, and needs for health promotion programs were measured using a structured questionnaire. The subjects were 193 paramedics in Jeju Island. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test and χ2 test. RESULTS: The most experienced event out of the 16 different traumatic events was ‘retrieve a suicide's body.’ A high-risk classification of PTS was observed in 36.2% of the subjects. The rates of experiences were higher than those of the actual needs for all 26 health promotion programs. The programs reported as highly needed by respondents were stress management (75.5%) followed by exercise (74.6%) and PTS management (72.5%). Subjects with longer career periods, a fire sergeant, perceived obesity, numerous experiences of traumatic events, and in the PTS risk group had a higher need for a stress management program. CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that a significant number of 119 paramedics experienced PTS. They also show that onsite strategic management is strongly required. In addition, implementation of health promotion programs based on the needs of 119 paramedics is highly needed.
Allied Health Personnel* ; Classification ; Fires ; Health Promotion* ; Humans ; Needs Assessment ; Obesity ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: Disposable one piece laryngoscope (DOL), which probably carries a lower risk of infection than conventional reusable ones, is the only device which has received approval by the Korean Ministry of Food and Drug safety. In the current study, we evaluated the effectiveness and usefulness of the conventional Macintosh laryngoscope (MAC) and DOL in inexperienced personnel. METHODS: A randomized crossover trial was designed. Ninety seven participants (Medical students, Paramedic students) were enrolled and performed endotracheal intubation with MAC and DOL in Manikin (SimMan(R) Laedal Medical Corporation, Stravanger; Norway). Cormack-Lehane grade, the number of attempts, time required for intubation, and dental compression were measured to evaluate the effectiveness. The participants were given a questionnaire survey on the usefulness of laryngoscopes (easier to use, lightness, brightness, manageable to use, delivering power, safer for patients, intense to use). RESULTS: Regarding the aspect of effectiveness, a significant difference in dental compression was observed between DOL and MAC (p=0.011). Others showed no significant differences. Regarding the aspect of usefulness, DOL was superior to MAC except in delivering power. CONCLUSION: The DOL appears to be a reasonable device for use in emergency airway management. It should be verified for effectiveness and usefulness of newly developed equipment in emergency airway management because it is directly related to life.
Airway Management ; Allied Health Personnel ; Disposable Equipment ; Emergencies ; Humans ; Intubation* ; Intubation, Intratracheal ; Laryngoscopes* ; Manikins*

PURPOSE: Recently, the emergency departments of most general hospitals have been overcrowded, and one of the major causes is the increased number of pediatric patients. Therefore, our hospital separated the pediatric emergency room from the emergency department, and we assessed the effect of that separation. METHODS: Pediatric patients below 15 years of age who visited the emergency department from March 1998 to February 1999, which was before the separation, and from March 1999 to February 2000, which was after the separation, were included in this study. RESULTS: The average lengths of stay of pediatric and nonpediatric patients at emergency department before separation were 1.9+/-3.5 and 2.6+/-5 hours, respectively, and declined to 1.6+/-2.4 and 2.3+/-4.7 after separation (p<0.05). The waiting time until admission declined notably from 3.6+/-2.5 hours to 3.3+/-5.6 hours for pediatric patients, in spite of the fact that the number of pediatric admissions increased (p<0.05). In non-pediatric patients, it declined from 3.1+/-3.3 to 2.6+/-3.5 hours (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The separation of the emergency department into pediatric and non-pediatric departments reduced emergency-department crowding, the length of stay at the emergency department, and, the waiting time until admission. A fundamental solution to the problem of emergency-department crowding requires an independent pediatric emergency department, an increased number of emergency physicians, increased paramedic coverage, and more efficient hospital policies regarding laboratory, radiology, and admission procedures.
Allied Health Personnel ; Crowding ; Emergencies* ; Emergency Service, Hospital* ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Length of Stay ; Patient Admission

PURPOSE: This study was done to evaluate patients' and physicians' attitude toward emergency physician's professional appearance in the ED. METHODS: By way of a survey, the patients and guardians of 87 patients presenting to the Emergency Department of Seoul National University Hospital (patients' group) were shown 6 photographs of physician's dress style and asked questions related to their preference for each physician's dress style. The same questions were also given to 52 medical personnel (medical group: physicians, nurses, and paramedics of the emergency department). RESULTS: There was no preference for formal suit or casual suit without white laboratory coat in either group. Fifty-eight (73.4%) of the patients' group preferred a formal suit with white coat whereas 22(44.0%) of the medical group preferred a formal suit with white coat (p=0.008). As to surgical scrubs with or without a white coat, there was a preference in both group. However, the medical group liked 'scrubs+white coat' more than the patients' group (p=0.003). Of 12 other items, 4 items (dyed hair, no tie, a Tshirt, and sports shoes) were preferred and 7 items (longhair/ponytail (man), mustache/beard, blue jeans, sportswear, mini-skirt, earrings (man) and bracelets) were not preferred by the either group. However, there is a disconcordance about slippers/sandals between the patients' group and the medical group (27.8% vs 56.8% preferred them; p=0.003). CONCLUSION: Patients and their guardians preferred emergency department doctors to be dressed in formal dress with a white coat, but also accepted surgical scrubs whereas medical personnel preferred scrub with white coat.
Allied Health Personnel ; Clothing ; Ear ; Emergencies* ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Hair ; Humans ; Seoul ; Sports

INTRODUCTION: It remains unclear which advanced airway device has better placement success and fewer adverse events in out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCAs). This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the VBM laryngeal tube (LT) against the laryngeal mask airway (LMA) in OHCAs managed by emergency ambulances in Singapore. METHODS: This was a real-world, prospective, cluster-randomised crossover study. All OHCA patients above 13 years of age who were suitable for resuscitation were randomised to receive either LT or LMA. The primary outcome was placement success. Per-protocol analysis was performed, and the association between outcomes and airway device group was compared using multivariate binomial logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Of 965 patients with OHCAs from March 2016 to January 2018, 905 met the inclusion criteria, of whom 502 (55.5%) were randomised to receive LT while 403 (44.5%) were randomised to receive LMA. Only 174 patients in the LT group actually received the device owing to noncompliance. Placement success rate for LT was lower than for LMA (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 0.52, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.31-0.90). Complications were more likely when using LT (OR 2.82,0 95% CI 1.64-4.86). Adjusted OR for prehospital return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) was similar in both groups. A modified intention-to-treat analysis showed similar outcomes to the per-protocol analysis between the groups. CONCLUSION LT was associated with poorer placement success and higher complication rates than LMA. The likelihood of prehospital ROSC was similar between the two groups. Familiarity bias and a low compliance rate to LT were the main limitations of this study.
Allied Health Personnel ; Humans ; Intubation, Intratracheal ; Laryngeal Masks ; Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest/therapy* ; Prospective Studies ; Singapore

BACKGROUND: Previous research has shown that paramedics are exposed to risks in the form of injuries to the musculoskeletal system. In addition, there are studies showing that they are also at increased risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and psychiatric diseases, which can partly be explained by their constant exposure to stress. The aim of this study is to evaluate whether the use of shoulder straps decreases physical effort in the form of decreased heart rate and cortisol concentration. METHODS: A stretcher with a dummy was carried by 20 participants for 400 m on two occasions, one with and one without the shoulder straps. Heart rate was monitored continuously and cortisol samples were taken at intervals of 0 minutes, 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 45 minutes, and 60 minutes. Each participant was her or his own control. RESULTS: A significant decrease in heart rate and cortisol concentration was seen when shoulder straps were used. The median values for men (with shoulder straps) at 0 minutes was 78 bpm/21.1 nmol/L (heart rate/cortisol concentration), at 15 minutes was 85 bpm/16.9 nmol/L, and at 60 minutes was 76 bpm/15.7 nmol/L; for men without shoulder straps, these values were 78 bpm/21.9 nmol/L, 93 bpm/21.9 nmol/L, and 73 bpm/20.5 nmol/L. For women, the values were 85 bpm/23.3 nmol/L, 92 bpm/20.8 nmol/L, and 70 bpm/18.4 nmol/L and 84 bpm/32.4 nmol/L, 100 bpm/32.5 nmol/L, and 75 bpm/25.2 nmol/L, respectively. CONCLUSION: The use of shoulder straps decreases measurable physical stress and should therefore be implemented when heavy equipment or a stretcher needs to be carried. An easy way to ensure that staff use these or similar lifting aids is to provide them with personalized, well-adapted shoulder straps. Another better option would be to routinely sewn these straps into the staff's personal alarm jackets so they are always in place and ready to be used.
Allied Health Personnel ; Ambulances* ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Female ; Heart Rate* ; Heart* ; Humans ; Hydrocortisone* ; Lifting ; Male ; Musculoskeletal System ; Physical Exertion ; Shoulder*