Emergency Medical Technicians' Experiences of the Challenges of Prehospital Care Delivery During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study.

Background: Exploring emergency medical technicians' (EMTs) experiences of COVID-19 epidemic, help to identify the challenges they face in their daily work and develop strategies that address these challenges. This study aimed to explore EMTs' experiences of the challenges of prehospital care delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: This qualitative study was conducted in March-July 2020 using conventional content analysis approach. Fifteen EMTs were purposively selected from the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Center in Qom, Iran. For data collection, semi-structured interviews were conducted until data saturation was reached.

Results: EMTs' experiences of the challenges of prehospital care delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic were classified into three main categories including "restless society", "difficult care delivery conditions", and "unprepared organization". The emergent subcategories were "need for information", "limited perception of the COVID-19 risk", "obsessive use of disinfectants", "fear over the transmission of COVID-19 to self and others", "burnout due to heavy workload", "altered communication with hospital staff", "ethical conflicts", "lack of a definite treatment plan", "lack of protective equipment", "staff shortage due to the affliction of EMTs by COVID-19", and "inadequate support by authorities".

Conclusion: During COVID-19 pandemics, EMTs face many challenges including emotional and occupational stress, social strains, risk of affliction by infections, heavy workload, and ethical conflicts and hence, experience difficulties in quality care delivery. Developing appropriate strategies, guidelines, and policies are needed to effectively manage these challenges and improve the quality of prehospital care delivery in COVID-19 epidemic.