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Fatal and Nonfatal Injuries Among Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics Full Text
Prehospital Emergency Care, 08/31/2011
Reichard AA et al. – Emergency medical technicians and paramedics have higher fatal injury rates when compared with all workers. To reduce fatalities, targeted efforts should be made to prevent ground and air transportation incidents. Reducing nonfatal injuries may be accomplished by developing and evaluating interventions to prevent bodily stress and overexertion injuries.
Methods- The authors analyzed data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) and the occupational supplement to the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS-Work) for the period 2003-2007.
- The authors identified 99,400 (95%% confidence interval [[CI]], 71,700, 127,100) nonfatal injuries treated in emergency departments and 65 fatal injuries from the period 2003-2007.
- Most fatalities were related to motor vehicle incidents (45%%) and aircraft crashes (31%%).
- Among compensated EMTs and paramedics, the rate of fatal injuries was 6.3 per 100,000 full-time equivalents.
- Nonfatal injuries were primarily associated with stress on some part of the body from motion or overexertion (33%%).
- Among all nonfatal injuries, the most common diagnosis was sprains and strains (38%%).