Alireza Taheri

Bio: Alireza Taheri is an academic researcher. The author has contributed to research in topics: Descriptive statistics & Emergency medical services. The author has an hindex of 1, co-authored 1 publications receiving 3 citations.

Time Indices of Emergency Medical Services

Abstract: Background: Almost 25% of the world population suffer from early death due to preventable events. Trauma and sudden cardiac death are known as common causes of death. The arrival time to help the patient is known as a very important factor in enhancing survival and reducing side effects. Objectives: The aim of the present study was to identify the factors relating to the efficacy of prehospital emergency service (timerelated performance). In addition, it was intended to describe time indices of prehospital services among patients who had internal medical and trauma related problems. Methods: In the present cross-sectional study, all the calls to the emergency medical service (EMS) were monitored. The reasons of these calls were internal medical problems and trauma (March 2009 to March 2013). The frequency of calls were derived from the information bank of EMS in Isfahan, Iran. Demographic features, type of events, time indices of EMS and the outcomes of registered patients were collected and the data were analyzed using descriptive and analytical statistics. Descriptive statistics included frequency, percentage, mean, median, and standard deviation and inferential statistics included t-test, ANOVA, multiple regression and chi-square test. Results: From a total of 299956 cases who had sought help, 61.9% were men. Also, 48.5% of the cases had internal medical and 51.5% had traumatic injuries. In 61.5% of the cases, the injured persons were transferred to the hospital and 3.2% of the cases resulted in death. The men had a morality rate of 1.6 more than women (P < 0.001). Response times were significantly higher than the standard of 8 minutes (P < 0.001). In 50.6% of the cases, the mean response time was less than 8 minutes. Conclusions: Considering the increasing trend of traumatic events, especially in active groups of society (age groups of less than 45), equipping and updating ambulances and providing the EMS personnel with better training can help the injured people in reducing aftermath consequences. On the other hand, increasing neurologic problems in these age groups is an alarm for health managers and health workers, so that they can improve public health through revising health guidelines. Increase in the response time in prehospital emergency missions is also an alarm for the managers who must revise the methods of conducting emergency missions

Adherence to Professional Code of Ethics from Emergency Medical Technicians and Their Patient's Perspective: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract: Background: Adherence of emergency medical technicians (EMTs) to a professional code of ethics is one of the most important aspects of their occupation. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the degree of adherence to the professional code of ethics from the perspective of EMTs and their patients. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. The inclusion criteria for patients were age between 18-65 years, willingness to participate in the study, normal mental status, being medically stable and absence of any chronic mental or psychiatric disorder. The inclusion criteria for EMTs were willingness to participate in the study, having an associate or bachelor’s degree in the medical emergency, working at medical emergency departments and management centers. The exclusion criteria were refusal to continue the study and the necessity of therapeutic intervention while completing the questionnaire. The patients were recruited by cluster sampling. For this reason, first, two hospitals were randomly selected among six hospitals in Arak, Markazi province (Arak, Iran). Then, the list of missions at each shift was extracted by referring to the emergency departments of these hospitals. Afterward, one of the missions in each shift was randomly selected. In this study, a two-part questionnaire was used for data gathering. In this first part, the demographic information of the participants was collected. In the second part, a professional code of ethics for EMTs' questionnaire, including 26 statements in 5 dimensions was used. Finally, the questionnaires were given and completed by the pre-hospital emergency personnel and the transferred patients. Results: A total of 105 EMTs and 109 patients were randomly selected as they transported patients to the studied hospitals. From the viewpoint of patients, adherence to the professional code of ethics was rated 2% as highly desirable, 39% as desirable, 58% as moderate, and 1% as undesirable. On the other hand, the EMTs rated themselves as 59.8% highly desirable, 37.1% as desirable, and 3.1% as moderate. There was a statistically significant difference between the average score of adherence to a professional code of ethics from the viewpoint of patients versus that of the EMTs (p <0.001). Conclusion: There was a statistically significant difference between the degrees of adherence to the professional code of ethics by EMTs from their own viewpoint versus that of the patients.

Barriers and facilitators to cardiopulmonary resuscitation within pre-hospital emergency medical services: a qualitative study.

Abstract: Background Out-of-hospital cardiopulmonary arrest is a common and fatal problem. Rescuing patients with this problem by pre-hospital emergency medical services is associated with various barriers and facilitators. Identifying these barriers as well as the facilitators in a qualitative and an information-rich way will help to improve the quality of performing the maneuver and to increase the patients' survival. Therefore, the current study was qualitatively conducted with the aim of identifying the factors affecting the cardiopulmonary resuscitation within the pre-hospital emergency medical services. Methods This qualitative study was conducted using a content analysis approach in Iran in 2021. The participants were 16 Iranian emergency medical technicians who were selected through a purposive sampling method. For data collection, in-depth and semi-structured interviews were conducted. For data analysis, the Elo and Kyngas method was applied. Results The mean participants' age was 33.06 ± 7.85 years, and their mean work experience was 10.62 ± 6.63 years. The collected information was categorized into one main category called "complex context of the cardiopulmonary resuscitation" and 5 general categories with 17 subcategories. These categories and subcategories include patient condition (patient's underlying diseases, age, high weight, number of children, and place of living), dominant atmosphere in companions at home (companions' feeling of agitation, companions doing harm, and companions helping), policy (educational policy, human resource policy, up-to-date equipment and technology, and do-not-resuscitate policy), performance of the out-of-organizational system (disorganization in the patient handover process, and cooperation of the support organizations), and conditions related to the treatment team (conscience, cultural dominance, and shift burden). Conclusions The results showed that the conditions related to the patient and his/her companions, as well as the organizational factors such as the policies and the out-of-organizational factors act as the barriers and the facilitators to the cardiopulmonary resuscitation within pre-hospital emergency medical services. Therefore, the barriers can be modified and the facilitators can be enhanced by taking various measures such as educating, human resource policy-making, upgrading the equipment, and considering appropriate management policies.

Predictors of problem-solving skills among emergency medical services staff in Iran: A cross-sectional correlational study

Abstract: Background and aims Pre-hospital emergency technicians face many problems in the workplace daily, so the ability to solve or overcome them in the workplace is essential. This article aimed to assess the predictors of problem-solving skills among emergency medical services staff in Iran. Methods This study was cross-sectional correlational research. Using convenience sampling methods, 140 emergency medical services (EMS) staff were enrolled in the study. Response time was assessed using ASAYAR software, problem-solving skills (PSS) were measured using the Hepner Petersen Problem Solving Questionnaire (PSI), and cognitive emotion regulation strategies were assessed using the Garnfsky Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, t-test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), Pearson's r correlation coefficient, and multiple linear regression analysis were applied using SPSS 14.0. Results The results of our study showed that the total mean score for problem-solving skills was 136.84 (14.65) (range, 175–107 points). Multiple linear regression indicated that refocusing on planning, positive evaluation, stress management courses, delays and their causes, positive refocusing, catastrophizing, and acceptance were effective predictors of problem-solving skills in emergency personnel, accounting for 54% of the total variances. Conclusion This study is one of the first studies in this field. Based on our findings, individuals who consider their emotions and feelings when solving problems are better able to use the process of thinking and problem-solving skills. Therefore, by training people in the field of emotional regulation skills, the skills to solve problems technicians can be increased.