Background
Working in emergency medicine includes exposure to critical incidents, trauma and death. In research it is well established, that recurrent exposure to critical incidents is a risk factor in terms of developing symptoms of mental illness and severe psychopathology. In addition, there is an elevated risk of reduced quality in the daily work, job performance and increased sick leave. Thus, working in HEMS, involves a high risk of being exposed to mentally stressful events.
Aim
The aim of this PhD project is to assess the prevalence of mental health problems in HEMS personnel (pilot, HEMS crew member, doctors), and to generate knowledge about risk and preventive factors, that can inform future initiatives on prevention in HEMS and other Emergency Medical Services.
Method
The project is undertaken as a mixed method study. The study is based on 3 waves of prospective electronic survey data combined with data from in depth qualitative interviews. Also a systematic review is conducted.
Collaboration
The project is carried out in collaboration with The Danish Air Ambulance (Den Landsdækkende Akutlægehelikopterordning), Norwegian air ambulance service (Norsk Luftambulanse), The Prehospital Centre in Central Denmark Region, Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Odense University Hospital and Aarhus University, Denmark.