Twelve-month prevalence of injury due to an occupational accident in pre-hospital Emergency Medical Services staff: Data from the EMS Health Study

Abstract

Background: Pre-hospital emergency medical services (EMS) staff are at a high risk of occupational injuries. Therefore, this analysis aimed to calculate the 12-month prevalence of injuries due to occupational accidents and identify the associated factors in German pre-hospital EMS staff. Methods: We analyzed data from a cross-sectional survey to calculate the 12-month prevalence and the 95% confidence interval (95% CI) of an injury due to an occupational accident. In addition, the variables associated with these injuries were identified by multivariable logistics regression analysis and by calculating adjusted odds ratios (AORs) with 95% CI using JASP software. Results: A total of 2, 307 study participants were included in the analysis. The 12-month prevalence of an injury due to an occupational accident was 15.61% (95% CI: 14.15%; 17.15%). The presence of lower back pain or chronic back pain (AOR: 1.65 [95% CI: 1.24; 2, 20]; p ≤ 0.001), allergies other than allergic asthma (AOR: 1.42 [95% CI: 1.09; 1.86]; p = 0.009), and osteoarthritis (AOR: 1.85 [95% CI: 1.03; 3.32]; p = 0.039) in the previous 12 months, which are associated with an injury due to an occupational accident, were statistically significant. In addition, participants who were working in rural areas indicated lower odds compared to those working in metropolitan areas (AOR: 0.62 [95% CI: 0.43; 0.90]; p ≤ 0.001). Conclusion: This analysis indicates a high 12-month prevalence and mainly health-related factors associated with injuries due to occupational accidents being statistically significant in the participating German pre-hospital EMS staff.