ORCID Profile
0000-0003-0394-9652
Current Organisations
Hamad Medical Corporation
,
Heidelberg University
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Publisher: Hamad bin Khalifa University Press (HBKU Press)
Date: 12-11-2015
DOI: 10.5339/JLGHS.2015.ITMA.59
Abstract: Fatal vehicle crashes are not uncommon for ambulance paramedics (1-3). Emergency services staff may be overconfident and overestimate the privileges they have on the road and overlook basic driving safety principles (4). In line with the WHO (5) a driving safety c aign targeting some 935 registered HMCAS drivers and other staff was initiated in June 2015. We aim to determine if our approach is effective in changing behaviour and believes, and reducing the number of accidents in which our vehicles are involved, and surveyed the staff. Posters and stickers were designed with respectively 6 and 4 key messages covering the most frequent issues resulting in collisions (with objects/other vehicles) or potentially putting lives at risk. These are visibly displayed at all ambulance stations and in the vehicle driving compartments. An official staff circular was then sent to inform them of the c aign. A month later a survey accessible online and on paper started to be distributed to staff. In one month 141 anonymous questionnaires were returned fully completed. On average using a 5-point Likert scale respondents rated themselves as being safe drivers (4.2/5) and estimated the monthly number of accident with HMCAS vehicles to be 15.3 (22.1/month registered in 2014) and to mainly occur at traffic light (75.2%). 75% had noticed the posters and 60% the stickers. Those who noticed could respectively cite 53.3% (3.2) and 54.6% (2.2) of the key messages. 72% of respondents (n=102) had an HMCAS driving qualification (10.9% of qualified HMCAS drivers). On average they had been involved in 0.95 accident requiring vehicle repair. As expected, staff underestimate the number of accidents. References: 1- Maguire, B. J., Hunting, K. L., Smith, G. S., & Levick, N. R. (2002). Occupational fatalities in emergency medical services: a hidden crisis. Annals of emergency medicine, 40(6), 625-632. 2- Maguire, B. J., & Smith, S. (2013). Injuries and fatalities among emergency medical technicians and paramedics in the United States. Prehospital and disaster medicine, 28(04), 376-382. 3- Becker, L. R., Zaloshnja, E., Levick, N., Li, G., & Miller, T. R. (2003). Relative risk of injury and death in ambulances and other emergency vehicles. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 35(6), 941-948. 4- Blau, G., Gibson, G., Hochner, A., & Portwood, J. (2012). Antecedents of Emergency Medical Service high-risk behaviors: Drinking and not wearing a seat belt. Journal of Workplace Behavioral Health, 27(1), 47-61. 5- World Health Organization. (2013). WHO global status report on road safety 2013: supporting a decade of action. World Health Organization. 6- Abu-Zidan, F. M., Abbas, A. K., Hefny, A. F., Eid, H. O., & Grivna, M. (2012). Effects of seat belt usage on injury pattern and outcome of vehicle occupants after road traffic collisions: prospective study. World journal of surgery, 36(2), 255-259. 7- Shepherd, J. L., Lane, D. J., Tapscott, R. L., & Gentile, D. A. (2011). Susceptible to Social Influence: Risky “Driving” in Response to Peer Pressure. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 41(4), 773-797.
Publisher: Hamad bin Khalifa University Press (HBKU Press)
Date: 09-10-2016
DOI: 10.5339/JEMTAC.2016.ICEPQ.21
Abstract: Background: Worldwide ambulances are regularly involved in accidents as staff may not anticipate other drivers' actions, suffer from fatigue, or overestimate their driving privileges. An ambulance driving safety c aign started in June 2015 targeting some 935 registered HMCAS drivers. We aim to determine if our approach is effective in changing behaviours and believes, and reducing the number of accidents involving HMCAS vehicles. Methods: This study was ethically approved as a quality improvement project and is still ongoing. The c aign made use of ambulance dashboard stickers and posters at ambulance stations' exits with respectively 4 and 6 key messages covering frequent issues resulting in collisions. An official circular also informed staff of the c aign. A month later a survey started to be distributed to staff. Results: In two month, 189 anonymous online or paper questionnaires were fully completed. 69.2% of respondents had an HMCAS driving qualification (13.7% of qualified HMCAS drivers). On average, they reported having been involved in 0.90 accident requiring vehicle repair. Using a 5-point Likert scale (1 = very unsafe, 5 = very safe) respondents rated themselves as being safe drivers (4.24/5) and underestimated the monthly number of accidents with HMCAS vehicles to be 15.3 (Actual 21.2/month registered in 2014). Other data about self-reported driving behaviour and comparison between their perception about accidents and real data was analysed along with visibility and memorisation of the key messages. Conclusions: Staff underestimated the number of accidents. C aign material has been noticed by most staff except for the stickers inside the ambulances driving compartment which is not accessed by 23.2% of the respondents. Staff who saw the posters and stickers remembered nearly half of the information it contained. Although a significant decline accidents occurrences was noticed in September, the impact of the c aign cannot yet be reliably assessed over this relatively short period of time.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2023
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
No related grants have been discovered for Nathan Manning.