Objective: Paramedicine clinicians (PCs) in the United States (US) respond to 40 million calls for assistance every year. Their fatality rates are high and their rates of nonfatal injuries are higher than other emergency services personnel, and much higher than the average rate for all US workers. The objectives of this paper are to: describe current occupational injuries among PCs; determine changes in risks over time; and calculate differences in risks compared to other occupational groups.
Methods: This retrospective open cohort study of nonfatal injuries among PCs used 2010 through 2020 data from the US Department of Labor (DOL), Bureau of Labor Statistics; some data were unavailable for some years. The rates and relative risks (RRs) of injuries were calculated and compared against those of registered nurses (RNs), fire fighters (FFs), and all US workers.
Results: The annual average number of injuries was: 4,234 over-exertion and bodily reaction (eg, motion-related injuries); 3,935 sprains, strains, and tears; 2,000 back injuries; 580 transportation-related injuries; and over 400 violence-related injuries. In this cohort, women had an injury rate that was 50% higher than for men. In 2020, the overall rate of injuries among PCs was more than four-times higher, and the rate of back injuries more than seven-times higher than the national average for all US workers. The rate of violence-related injury was approximately six-times higher for PCs compared to all US workers, seven-times higher than the rate for FFs, and 60% higher than for RNs. The clinicians had a rate of transportation injuries that was 3.6-times higher than the national average for all workers and 2.3-times higher than for FFs. Their overall rate of cases varied between 290 per 10,000 workers in 2018 and 546 per 10,000 workers in 2022.
Conclusions: Paramedicine clinicians are a critical component of the health, disaster, emergency services, and public health infrastructures, but they have risks that are different than other professionals.This analysis provides greater insight into the injuries and risks for these clinicians. The findings reveal the critical need for support for Emergency Medical Services (EMS)-specific research to develop evidence-based risk-reduction interventions. These risk-reduction efforts will require an enhanced data system that accurately and reliably tracks and identifies injuries and illnesses among PCs.
Keywords: Emergency Medical Services; epidemiology; illness; injury; occupational safety.