Emergency care or emergency medical care refers to "the assessment, care and treatment of an injured or ill person in an emergency care setting and the continuation of treatment and care during the transport of such person to or between medical facilities". Articles describing interventions to reduce risk to EMS health and safety in natural disasters. Knowing the prevalence of natural disasters is helpful in allocating limited resources to identify and mitigate health and safety risks affecting EMS.
The following subsection discusses the factors that affect the health and safety of ambulance crews in general and specifically when natural disasters occur. Supporting the vaccination of the population, recovering dead bodies, providing medical assistance and rescuing survivors are among the main responsibilities of ambulance crews in response to natural disasters (27). Natural disasters often involve flooding (resulting from tsunamis, storms and downpours) and associated risks include exposure to water-borne vector diseases and drowning (63).
Violence at work is also identified as another outcome of EMS workers' exposure to health and safety hazards due to natural disasters. A major consequence of the exposure of EMS workers to the danger of natural disasters is death. The research findings of the literature review identified that EMS workers are exposed to numerous factors that determine their health and safety due to natural disasters.
Based on the literature reviewed, the findings of health and safety risks from natural disasters to which EMS workers are exposed to help understand the factors that determine the health and safety of EMS personnel when attending natural disasters. Review of the Health Effects of Wildland Fire Smoke on Wildland Firefighters and the Public. Natural disasters are common occurrences across the globe and pose a major threat to the health and safety of the communities they affect (64).
Natural disasters present factors that pose both unique and significant risks to the health and safety of EMS professionals and numerous works of literature. Lack of accurate population size determination due to fluidity of EMS workforce. Education and communication of health risks before and during the occurrence of natural disasters.
The health and safety outcomes of the hazards to which EMS professionals are exposed during natural disasters depend greatly on the role and preparation of the responders as well as the nature of the natural disasters. The implications of the health and safety hazards to which EMS are exposed during natural disasters can prevent them from carrying out their primary purpose of providing emergency medical care. Furthermore, there is a lack of understanding of how these factors may affect the overall functioning of the emergency response and further research is needed, not only to better elucidate mitigation tactics, but also to understand the broader implications of the adverse outcomes caused by EMS- suppliers are experienced, to understand. .The proposed preventive measures represent the means to effectively reduce the adverse effects of EMS exposure when responding to natural disasters.
Instructions for authors
Research protocol
Factors affecting the safety of EMS responders are not yet clearly defined and understood. As such, a review of the body of published research will be conducted to identify and contextualize these factors. Therefore, this scoping review aims to identify the key factors that affect the safety of EMS responders while performing their rescue work in natural disasters.
As a result of the effects of natural disasters, health problems are exacerbated by the loss to the health system, water and food, sanitation infrastructure and displacement of those affected. Neighbors and other volunteers may, however, be present at the scene of the accident to offer some help. Although the threats can never be eliminated, strategies can be implemented to manage the risks involved and ensure the safety of emergency responders and all other personnel involved in disaster response.
One of the deadliest epidemics reported in the 21st century is the novel coronavirus disease, or COVID-19 (20). The 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in mainland China declared a public health emergency (PHE) by WHO or COVID-19 (22). They have an immediate impact on human lives and often result in the destruction of the physical, biological and social environment of the affected people.
Conduct a scoping review using literature from the past 20 years to provide an overview of the literature and identify the factors that affect the health and safety of responders during natural disaster rescue work and gaps in the literature. As this study is a review of the literature, no ethical approval will be required; however, the study protocol will be submitted to the UCT HREC for confirmation and notification. The broad scope of the review objective can lead to difficulties in setting boundaries for the study.
The expected outputs of this study will be the thesis available at the University of Cape Town repository and the publication of the review in an open access journal. Emergency medical services' perceptions of the effect of stress and anxiety on patient safety in the out-of-hospital emergency care of children: a qualitative study. Evaluations of the uptake and impact of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) Statement and extensions: a scoping review.
HREC approval letter
