Abstract
[This is an excerpt.] Beyond traditional obstacles associated with providing care in the prehospital setting, EMS clinicians now face a novel series of challenges resulting from the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic. Resource constraints and concern regarding risks associated with aerosolizing procedures resulted in rapidly changing protocols. Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) activations increased substantially and survival outcomes worsened. Collectively, these new strains on EMS clinicians have led to increased burnout and potential for attrition. Understanding how prehospital care practices and EMS professional well-being have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic is important to mitigate negative patient outcomes and improve workforce well-being and stability. The objective of this study was to assess how the COVID-19 pandemic affected EMS clinicians in the state of Texas through structural factors (resource availability, operational protocols), process measures (clinical care, prehospital time intervals) and wellness (burnout). [To read more, click View Resource.]
