On the occasion of December 1–7 Emergency Health Services Week, Lecturer Ayşe Bağlı, Head of the First and Emergency Aid Program, made evaluations regarding the importance of emergency health services and the critical role of paramedics in the field, stating, “The role of paramedics, actively involved in the provision of emergency health services, is becoming increasingly critical and indispensable.”
Bağlı, drawing attention to the challenges paramedics face in the sector, said, “The problems paramedics encounter include; workload, long working hours, incidents of violence and security problems, physical and psychological exhaustion, risk of infection, false alarms, problems with ambulance access to the scene or hospital, and issues with appointment and job placement.”
Lecturer Ayşe Bağlı, Head of the First and Emergency Aid Program at Üsküdar University Vocational School of Health Services, drew attention to the importance of emergency health services and the critical role of paramedics in the field, in her assessment on the occasion of December 1–7 Emergency Health Services Week.
Qualified Human Resources Targeted in Emergency Health Services
Lecturer Ayşe Bağlı explained the aim of the First and Emergency Aid Program with the following statements:
“The First and Emergency Aid Program is an associate degree program that provides education to ensure the effective delivery of pre-hospital emergency health services. As the First and Emergency Aid Program at Üsküdar University Vocational School of Health Services, our aim is to train knowledgeable and equipped health personnel who can provide basic and advanced life support to patients and injured individuals during illness and accidents, administer emergency medical interventions in all types of trauma and situations requiring emergency approaches, ensure the safe transfer of patients and injured individuals to the hospital, effectively communicate with other health personnel and relevant individuals in emergency situations, work in a team, identify problems related to their field and develop solutions, are contemporary, human-centered, prioritize ethical principles, and follow scientific and technological developments.”
Indispensable Competencies for Emergency Health Personnel
Lecturer Ayşe Bağlı listed the expected competencies from graduates, stating, “The ability to recognize life-threatening situations early, to administer necessary first and emergency interventions appropriately, to stabilize the patient and ensure safe transfer, to effectively use emergency equipment and technology, to make quick decisions, to act calmly and professionally, and to communicate effectively are the competencies expected from graduates.”
Paramedics' Role Indispensable in Emergencies…
Lecturer Ayşe Bağlı, evaluating the increasing role of paramedics, said the following:
“The role of paramedics, actively involved in the provision of emergency health services, is becoming increasingly critical and indispensable. The growing need for emergency health services due to increasing population and urbanization is among the primary reasons for this. The need for emergency health services can arise from a single patient or incident, as well as from mass incidents and disasters. Expectations from health services are also increasing due to scientific and technological developments in the healthcare field. Paramedics play an indispensable role due to the importance of rapid intervention and the 'golden hour' in emergencies.”
Paramedics Struggle with Heavy Workload, Violence, and False Alarms
Lecturer Ayşe Bağlı also drew attention to the challenges paramedics face in the sector, stating, “The problems paramedics encounter include; workload, long working hours, incidents of violence and security problems, physical and psychological exhaustion, risk of infection, false alarms, problems with ambulance access to the scene or hospital, and issues with appointment and job placement.”
Artificial Intelligence Will Be an Integral Part of Emergency Health Services
Sharing her predictions regarding the future of emergency health services, Lecturer Ayşe Bağlı concluded her words by saying, “The evolving information system contributing to the execution of emergency health services, and artificial intelligence and technology becoming a standard part of emergency care.”