Exposure Risk Assessment and Management of Pre-hospital Paramedics During the COVID-۱۹ Pandemic

Background: Pre-hospital paramedics providing immediate care to patients with contagious disease are at a high risk of infection. This study aimed to assess the exposure risk and risk management practices of pre-hospital paramedics during the COVID-۱۹ pandemic.  Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among ۳۳۵ paramedics from ۴۹ emergency medical stations in two cities located in northwestern of Iran, who were recruited through census. Data were collected using a World Health Organization (WHO) questionnaire to assess the COVID-۱۹ exposure risk among health workers. Results: The results showed that the highest risk of exposure (۸۶.۰%) was in the domain of occupational exposure, and ۵۵.۲% of paramedics were at high risk of exposure to COVID-۱۹. Among paramedics, ۹۵.۲% used personal protective equipment (PPE) when caring for patients and ۹۳.۱% when performing aerosol-generating procedures.  Conclusion: A significant number of pre-hospital paramedics were found to be at high exposure risk to COVID-۱۹ during ambulance missions. Therefore, adherence to contact and droplet precautions, implementation of airborne precautions during aerosol-generating procedures, access to appropriate PPE, proper use of PPE, and participation in appropriate training courses may lead to improved exposure risk management and enhance their safety.

کلیدواژه ها:

COVID-۱۹ ، Emergency ، Occupational exposure ، Paramedic