Emergency Medical Staff Workload Analysis

April 12, 2024 updated by: Krystyna Golonka, Jagiellonian University

Analysis of the Occupational Workload of Doctors and Medical Staff Involved in Emergency and Life-threatening Situations

The aim of this study is to identify trauma determinants and leverage this understanding to develop solutions applicable to the prevention and treatment of PTSD among emergency medical personnel. By categorizing stimuli associated with traumatic professional experiences, the study aims to enhance existing therapeutic protocols through exposure therapy. The specific objectives are as follows:

  1. Analysis and characterization of occupational workloads among doctors and emergency medical personnel, focusing on the scale of burdens associated with PTSD symptoms.
  2. Development of categories for aggravating and potentially traumatizing stimuli within the medical staff of rescue teams.
  3. Examination of the feasibility of incorporating the obtained results into cognitive-behavioral therapy protocols.
  4. Assessment of the potential for implementing the results in solutions utilizing virtual reality technology.
  5. Formation of an interdisciplinary international research team.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Background: Data on the impact of workloads indicate that emergency medical personnel exposed to sudden threats to health or life are particularly vulnerable to the consequences of occupational stress. Symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) within this professional group significantly surpass the rates found in the general population. Traumatic experiences encountered by medical staff may lead to a substantial decline in their mental health, as well as in their social and professional functioning.

Participants: Several hundred medical doctors and emergency medical personnel from Poland, Ukraine, Portugal and Spain.

Research Methodology: Analysis of data collected through focused interviews, psychological scales, and questionnaires pertaining to burnout, stress, and mental health conditions.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

400

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • Poland
    • Małopolska
      • Krakow, Małopolska, Poland, 30-348
        • Recruiting
        • Institute of Applied Psychology, Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland
        • Contact:
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Krystyna Golonka, Prof
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Katarzyna Sitnik-Warchulska, PhD
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Dominika Fortuna, MS
  • Portugal
      • Coimbra, Portugal
        • Recruiting
        • University of Coimbra
        • Contact:
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • João Ferreira, PhD
  • Ukraine
      • Kyiv, Ukraine
        • Recruiting
        • Bogomolets National Medical University
        • Contact:
        • Contact:
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Borys Palamar, Prof
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Sergii Tukaiev, PhD

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Medical staff involved in treating life-threatening conditions

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • completed medical studies or emergency medical course
  • assistance in life-threatening conditions

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Intellectual disability
  • Inability to self-complete the research questionnaires

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Intervention / Treatment
Polish Medical Staff
Medical doctors, and emergency staff (paramedics), involved in treating life-threatening conditions
Diagnostic test: Qualitative & Quantitative Research
  1. Focused interviews - conducted by members of the appointed research team to recognize the issues faced by emergency medical staff in Poland, Ukraine, Portugal, and Spain with the aim of preparing the measurement framework.
  2. Online questionnaire surveys - conducted using the Qualtrics platform (available in different, language versions - Polish, Ukrainian, Portuguese, and Spanish).
Ukrainian Medical Staff
Medical doctors, and emergency staff (paramedics), involved in treating life-threatening conditions
Diagnostic test: Qualitative & Quantitative Research
  1. Focused interviews - conducted by members of the appointed research team to recognize the issues faced by emergency medical staff in Poland, Ukraine, Portugal, and Spain with the aim of preparing the measurement framework.
  2. Online questionnaire surveys - conducted using the Qualtrics platform (available in different, language versions - Polish, Ukrainian, Portuguese, and Spanish).
Portuguese Medical Staff
Medical doctors, and emergency staff (paramedics), involved in treating life-threatening conditions
Diagnostic test: Qualitative & Quantitative Research
  1. Focused interviews - conducted by members of the appointed research team to recognize the issues faced by emergency medical staff in Poland, Ukraine, Portugal, and Spain with the aim of preparing the measurement framework.
  2. Online questionnaire surveys - conducted using the Qualtrics platform (available in different, language versions - Polish, Ukrainian, Portuguese, and Spanish).
Spanish Medical Staff
Medical doctors, and emergency staff (paramedics), involved in treating life-threatening conditions
Diagnostic test: Qualitative & Quantitative Research
  1. Focused interviews - conducted by members of the appointed research team to recognize the issues faced by emergency medical staff in Poland, Ukraine, Portugal, and Spain with the aim of preparing the measurement framework.
  2. Online questionnaire surveys - conducted using the Qualtrics platform (available in different, language versions - Polish, Ukrainian, Portuguese, and Spanish).

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Focused Interview
Time Frame: October, 2023 until November, 2023
Interviews pertaining to physical injury risk, psychosocial factors, and personal indicators
October, 2023 until November, 2023
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist (PCL-5)
Time Frame: December, 2023 until March, 2024
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist - 20-item, self-report measure to assess the symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder. Items are rated on 5-point Likert scale, ranging from 0 (not at all) to 4 (extremely). A general score ranges from 0 to 80 with a higher score indicating a higher symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder.
December, 2023 until March, 2024
Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9)
Time Frame: December, 2023 until March, 2024
Patient Health Questionnaire - 9-item, self-report measure to assess the severity of depression. Items are rated on 4-point Likert scale, ranging from 0 (not at all) to 3 (nearly every day). A general score ranges from 0 to 27 with a higher score indicating a higher depressive symptom severity.
December, 2023 until March, 2024
Depersonalization Mechanism Scale (DMS)
Time Frame: December, 2023 until March, 2024
Depersonalization Mechanism Scale - a 20-item, self-report measure to assess the tendency to depersonalization. Items are rated on 5-point Likert scale, ranging from 0 (never) to 4 (very often). A general score ranges from 0 to 80 with a higher score indicating a higher tendency to depersonalization.
December, 2023 until March, 2024

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Jagiellonian University

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Krystyna Golonka, Prof, Jagiellonian University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

October 1, 2023

Primary Completion (Estimated)

April 20, 2024

Study Completion (Estimated)

June 30, 2024

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

March 4, 2024

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 4, 2024

First Posted (Actual)

March 12, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

April 16, 2024

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 12, 2024

Last Verified

April 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • WZiKS.4.1.2023.2
  • WZiKS.4.1.2023 (Other Grant/Funding Number: Jagiellonian University in Kraków)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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