EMS Barrier Dataset
Description
We administered the Healthy Workplace All Employee Survey to 181 EMS clinicians from a nationwide sample and conducted focus groups in a subset of these clinicians to gain a deeper understanding of perceived barriers and facilitators to physical activity and potential features of a lifestyle intervention that would appeal to them.
Files
Steps to reproduce
We asked colleagues working in EMS and EMS Medical Directors to place the study flyer in an appropriate area of the EMS base and/or email the flyer to EMS clinicians in the agency. Inclusion criteria were male and female career EMS clinicians aged 18 y or more working in urban and suburban areas. Exclusion criteria included Individuals who are not EMS clinicians, EMS clinicians working in rural areas, or volunteer EMS clinicians. A survey consisting of demographic questions and the Healthy Workplace All Employee Survey was used to collect quantitative data [15]. The survey was completed electronically by EMS clinicians nationwide to collect information on EMS clinician demographics and their attitudes related to health, safety and wellness. The Healthy Workplace All Employee Survey provided a view of the organization’s health and safety climate as seen by the overall workforce. Results describe the perceived health and wellbeing of EMS clinicians, including diagnosed metabolic disease and self-reported height and mass, willingness to engage in health improvement behaviors, and amount of stress at work and home and usual sleep. The survey link and QR code were available to EMS clinicians on a flyer that included study details. Respondent consent to participate in the survey was provided electronically by clicking “Next” to continue to the survey. Focus groups: Focus groups are appropriate given the desire to seek different viewpoints based on each participant’s’ perspective [16]. For the focus group phase of the study, a sub-sample of participants was identified using stratified sampling from the full sample of the survey phase. Selection of focus group participants was based on the type of EMS clinician they identified as and their locale, as well as their willingness to participate in a focus group (identified by a question at the end of the survey: “Are you willing to participate in a focus group?”). A sub-sample of approximately two to five participants per EMS clinician type (i.e., third-service, fire-based, private) and locale (i.e., urban and suburban) was solicited for participation in the focus groups. We conducted three focus groups by video conference with the number of participants ranging from 4 – 6 participants each, for a total of 15 focus group participants (6 female). We also conducted structured interviews with 5 participants that were unable to participate in focus groups (all male). The focus groups and interviews each lasted approximately 1.0 - 1.5 hours. The focus groups were open ended and participants used only first names. Verbal consent was obtained from the participants before the focus group or interview began. Participants were informed that the focus groups were audio-digitally recorded and then transcribed verbatim for transcription and accuracy.