Post-traumatic stress disorder among paramedic and hospital emergency personnel in south-east Iran

Abstract

BACKGROUND Paramedic and emergency personnel may encounter directly many events that threat their own wellbeing during their daily work. This study was conducted to examine the prevalence rate of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among two groups of paramedic and emergency personnel in south-east Iran. METHODS The study employed a descriptive design and was conducted in four hospital emergency wards and a pre-hospital emergency base supervised by Kerman Medical University. Using Mississippi PTSD, we assessed the prevalence rate in paramedics (n=150) and emergency personnel (n=250). RESULTS The two groups had different levels of education, marital status, experience of traumatic events, work hours per month, and gender. Most (94%) of paramedic and hospital emergency personnel reported moderate PTSD. The two groups had significant different levels of PTSD in all subscale. CONCLUSION The study suggests that health care managers should organize systematic and dynamic policies and procedures in dealing with PTSD to assist both groups of personnel.