The profession of a paramedic as a new specialty in the health care system - a prospective assessment of social awareness

• Main Authors: Monika Klepacka, Daryna Sholokhova, Paweł Bakalarski, Karol Kupiński, Piotr Konrad Leszczyński
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Towarzystwo Pomocy Doraźnej 2018-12-01
• Series: Critical Care Innovations
• Subjects: paramedic; salvage service; emergency medical services; society assessment; professional qualifications
• Online Access: https://www.irdim.net/cci/1(2)11-19.html

INTRODUCTION: The first fundamental law regarding the system of State Emergency Medical Services in Poland was passed in 2006. The basic scope of activities performed by paramedics, their rights and obligations as well as the functioning and financing of the system were determined at that time. The aim of the work is an attempt to assess the level of social awareness in the field of qualifications and entitlements of paramedics, as well as to determine the role of this profession in the rescue system in Poland. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study uses a authorial questionnaire made available via the Internet, which was directed to random people. The form consisted of ten questions assessing knowledge and the opinion of the respondents regarding the profession of paramedic. To the statistical analysis was used rho-Spearman and U Mann- Whitney tests. All results were considered significant at p<0.05. RESULTS: The study was attended by 296 people, and the average age was 29.13 (SD±9.08). The average of the test questions was 7.03 points (SD±1.85) on a scale from 0 to 9. The average level of professional qualifications of paramedics was amounted to 7.03 points (SD±1.85) on a scale from 1 to 10. Respondents showed the greatest knowledge in the scope of prescribers' prescription (95%, n=280), education (89%, n=264) and qualifications of rescuers to receive delivery (88%, n=260). And the smallest in terms of resignation from resuscitation (50%, n=148), activities that exceed the qualifications of paramedics (55%, n=162) and the right to perform selected procedures (76%, n=224). People who were patients of paramedics rated their competence higher than those who did not declare that experience (Me=7,83 SD±1,91 vs. Me=8,54 SD±1,5; rho-Spearman: 0,18 ; p=0,002). CONCLUSIONS: The study indicates that paramedics are highly evaluated in terms of their professional competences. In addition, people who in the past were patients of paramedics assess them higher than people who have not had contact with them before.