Research Article
Stress and Burnout among Red Crescent Paramedic Ambulance Workers in Riyadh
Salem k Al Enazi, Adel N. AlEnzie
Correspondence Address :
Salem k Al Enazi
Department of Emergency Medicine
AlSulmania
Street, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Tel: +966562772113
Email: salenzy@kfmc.med.sa
Received on: March 03, 2018, Accepted on: March 13, 2018, Published on: March 20, 2018
Citation: Salem k Al Enazi, Adel N. AlEnzie (2018). Stress and Burnout among Red Crescent Paramedic Ambulance Workers in Riyadh
Copyright: 2018 Salem k Al Enazi, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Abstract
Background: Work-related stress is a serious problem that affects the health and wellbeing of employees as well as the productivity of organisations. Stress has a huge impact on the performance and productivity of emergency health workers. Paramedics are routinely exposed to a range of highly stressful incidents, as they have to deal with unpredictable and non-specific threats.
Objective: The objective of the study was to explored the factors associated with stress and identified the effects of stress and burnout on Red Crescent ambulance workers.
Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted among ambulance workers in Riyadh, Saudi Red Crescent centres across four regions of the Ar-Riyadh province of Saudi Arabia. Structured Questions about sociodemographic information, working conditions, the level of burnout, and job stress were included in the questionnaire.
Result: A total of 627 employees participated in the study, 95% participant were Emergency medical technician, 46.7% participants had worked for their present employer from 3 years to less than 6 years and 2.6% worked more than 12 years. Full - time permanent employee was 41.6%, and rotating 12-hours shift 64.6%. Corresponding with the result found in this study, the risks of stress, anxiety, and depression faced by a paramedic were usually associated with long working hours, unpredictable emergencies, and changing sleep patterns.
Conclusion: Stress level and work-related burnout was a leading cause of poor performance and resulted in the inability of employees to perform assigned tasks.
Keywords: Compassion fatigue, Trauma, Stress, Post-traumatic stress disorder