| บทคัดย่อ (อังกฤษ) |
Introduction : Road traffic accidents are the primary cause of injury, disability, and death. It had a tremendous impact to the economy, society, and the quality of life leading to a major global problem in many countries.
Research objectives : This study aimed to investigate the accident experiences, relevant factors, effects from accident and safety behaviors of emergency medical services workers who work with ambulances.
Research methodology : This qualitative research using the phenomenological method and purposive sampling. The data were collected from 40 samples using semi-structured in-depth interview and analyzing data using descriptive statistics included frequency and percentage, and content analysis.
Results : The results found that emergency medical services workers who work with ambulances ever experienced an accident while working, due to an accident from an ambulance was bumped by another vehicle and collided with another vehicle or sidewalk, swerved off the road, off a bridge, and accidents from medical devices, such as needle prick injury. Effects from accident caused an injury of workers (such as bruised arms and legs, broken tooth, chest pain, some organs were cut until deformed, and some workers died). Risk factors of accidents were caused by lack of safety behaviors of emergency medical personnel such as some drivers were in a weak physically condition, drove at speeds of over 80 km/h, and ran a red light, nursing personnel did not wear a seat belt, not sit in the right place, performed medical procedures while the ambulance was running, and not keep medical devices tidy. The vehicle factor related to unsafe behaviors of emergency medical services workers was no having seat belts enough for all seats inside ambulance. The environmental factors were 2 narrow lanes of rural roads at the crossroads without street light, urban roads with traffic jam were the risk factors causing accidents which emergency medical services workers had to increase their safety behaviors in emergency medical services operations.
Conclusions : From the present study, risk factors affecting accidents from emergency operation in an ambulance included personal factors, vehicle factors and environmental factors such as lack of safe behavior of emergency medical personnel which was an essential risk factor on accidents of the ambulances. Implications: To solve problems of the ambulance’s accidents should be focused on suggestions for behavioral adjustment of the emergency medical personnel. For example, the emergency operators accompanying with the ambulances should strictly comply with laws/ measures specified by the Ministry of Public Health, and a training related to how to drive an ambulance safely and other necessary trainings should be provided which include studying, monitoring, evaluating and extracting lessons in case of an accident, as well as a drill that should be organized occasionally in support of accidental events.
[-] |