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Lessons in Post-Disaster Self-Care From 9/11 Paramedics and Emergency Medical Technicians

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 June 2019

Erin Smith ,
Tony Walker  and
Frederick M. Burkle Jr
Erin Smith*
Affiliation:
Edith Cowan University, School of Medical and Health Sciences, Joondalup, Western Australia, Australia
Tony Walker
Affiliation:
Ambulance Victoria, Doncaster, Victoria, Australia
Frederick M. Burkle Jr
Affiliation:
Harvard University, Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
*
Correspondence: Erin Smith, PhD, MPH, MClinEpi Edith Cowan UniversitySchool of Medical and Health Sciences270 Joondalup DriveJoondalup, Western Australia 6027, Australia E-mail: erin.smith@ecu.edu.au
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Abstract

Objective:

The objective of this study was to explore preferred self-care practices among paramedics and emergency medical technicians (EMTs) who responded to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack (9/11) in New York City (New York USA).

Design, Setting, and Participants:

Qualitative research methodology with convenience and subsequent snowball sampling was utilized. Participants were adult (at least 18 years of age) paramedics or EMTs who self-reported as responding to the 9/11 terrorist attack in New York City.

Main Outcome Measures:

Preferred self-care practices; participant characteristics; indications and patterns of self-care use; perceived benefits and harms; and views on appropriate availability of support and self-care services were the main outcome measures.

Results:

The 9/11 paramedic and EMT participants reported a delay in recognizing the need for self-care. Preferred physical self-care practices included exercise, good nutrition, getting enough sleep, and sticking to routine. Preferred psychosocial self-care practices included spending time with family and friends, participating in peer-support programs and online support forums, and routinely seeing a mental health professional. Self-care was important for younger paramedics and EMTs who reported having less-developed supportive infrastructure around them, as well as for retiring paramedics and EMTs who often felt left behind by a system they had dedicated their lives to. Access to cooking classes and subsidized gym memberships were viewed as favorable, as was the ability to include family members in self-care practices.

Conclusion(s):

A range of physical and psychosocial self-care practices should be encouraged among paramedic students and implemented by Australian ambulance services to ensure the health and well-being of paramedics throughout their career and into retirement.

Keywords

9/11emergency medical technicianEMTparamedicself-care
Type
Special Report
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , Volume 34 , Issue 3 , June 2019 , pp. 335 - 339
Copyright
© World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine 2019 

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