Earticle

Purpose: This study aimed to identify the factors that contribute to head injuries among drivers of personal mobility devices and provide insights into safety perceptions. Methods: This retrospective study analyzed data of 221 trauma patients obtained from electronic medical records and the National Emergency Department Information System (NEDIS) over one year, from August 1, 2021, to July 31, 2022. The patients, all in their 20s and 30s, presented to a single emergency medical center following personal mobility device accidents (motorcycles, electric scooters, and bicycles). Results: Among motorcycle riders, 18.2% were not wearing helmets, while the percentage of e-scooter riders not wearing helmets was 87.5%. Wearing a helmet was associated with a 71.2% lower likelihood of head injuries (OR=0.288, CI=0.163 to 0.509, p=0.000). Of the personal mobility devices, motorcycles had a 0.431 times lower odds ratio for head injury compared to e-scooters (p=0.009), and there was no significant difference between e-scooters and bicycles (p=0.776). Conclusion: It is imperative to strengthen safety regulations by mandating helmet use for riders of personal mobility devices. A system to enhance driving enforcement for electric scooters, which are increasingly popular among young adults, should also be established.

Purpose: This study attempted to identify job stress, resilience, and job satisfaction among firefighters and to identify factors that influence job satisfaction. Methods: The study was conducted among 150 active firefighters who agreed to participate after reading an explanation of the purpose and importance of the study. They were sent a link to the self-report questionnaire URL via text message. Results: The mean scores for the variables were 2.26 for job stress, 3.55 for resilience, 3.30 for empathy, and 3.23 for job satisfaction. There was a significant difference in job satisfaction based on age. Job satisfaction was significantly positively correlated with empathy (r=248, p=.002) and resilience (r=463, p<.001) and significantly negatively correlated with job stress (r= -.740, p<.001). In other words, higher resilience and empathy were associated with higher job satisfaction, while higher job stress was associated with lower job satisfaction. And job stress was the influencing factor of job satisfaction, with an explanatory power of 55%. Conclusion: To improve firefighters' job satisfaction, management programs should be developed to enhance resilience and empathy and specific measures should be taken to reduce job stress.

Purpose: The study aims to provide basic data for understanding the department of paramedicines’ bachelor’s degree courses to enable curriculum development and reorganization. Methods: The 2023 academic curricula for all eleven universities with active departments of paramedicine offering bachelor's degrees were investigated from April 25 to May 10, 2023. Results: The average courseload was 22.0 units. There were 7.73 major subjects, with 19.45 units on average. The culture subject was available in 7 colleges and was 2.55 units on the average 1.18 subject. Grouping the major subjects showed that 15.3% of subjects were related to advanced paramedicine (the most common course), followed by 11.8% related to research methodology and seminar, and 10.8% related to radiology and simulations. Related subjects in statistics, disaster, and forensic science were also offered. Conclusion: This study found that the curricula of the departments of paramedicine differed from that of the general bachelor's degree. Going forward, university leaders should organize the paramedicine curriculum considering the environmental changes in emergency medicine and the scalability of EMT-Paramedic jobs.

Purpose: This study aimed to identify research trends related to the job competency of paramedics and paramedic students in Korea. It also presents further research directions. Methods: Papers from three databases (RISS, KISS, and DBpia) were reviewed. The keywords were ‘paramedi* and competency,’ ‘paramedi* and job competency,’ ‘paramedi* and student and competency,’ and ‘paramedi* and student and job competency.’ No limit was imposed on the research period. Four researchers conducted the inclusion and exclusion processes. Differences in opinion were resolved through sufficient discussion. Results: Twelve studies were selected for review, of which 11 were descriptive survey research studies and 1 was quasi-experimental. Eight studies aimed to determine the current level of competency, and three aimed to identify competency. The remaining study was designed for the development of and application in competency-related programs. The subject of most studies was competency during disasters. Conclusion: Based on these results, future research on paramedic job competency should include a wider variety of methods and subjects.

Purpose: The study aimed to analyze the occurrence and transfer status of emergency patients at Incheon International Airport in Korea. Methods: This study design included 810 patients for eight years, from July 1, 2014 to June 31, 2022. The collected data were analyzed with SPSS statistics version 25.0. Results: For the demographics, 531 (65.6%) were males, 151 (19.5%) were in the highest age group (in their 50s), and 289 (35.9%) were foreigners. The most common place of occurrence was in protected areas in the passenger terminal, with 341 (42.1%) of cases occurring here. The time of arrival at the site (z=-3.444, p=.001), stay duration at the site (z=-8.145, p=. 001), and transfer time (z=-3.623, p=.000) were all significantly longer. Conclusion: It is necessary to consider a rapid emergency transportation plan, such as developing a system that simplifies immigration procedures when emergency patients move from protected areas to general areas. Moreover, in order to quickly respond to foreign emergency patients, detailed characteristics will need to be identified. Lastly, considering the long transfer time, an instructing doctor should accompany an ambulance and actively perform advanced resuscitation.

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the mediating effect of self-efficacy between loneliness and life satisfaction among university students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This study administered a questionnaire survey of 282 college students enrolled in universities located in K area. Structural equation modeling analysis was utilized to examine the relationships of variables. The questionnaire included the life satisfaction, loneliness, and self-efficacy scales. Results: The results showed that loneliness had a negative correlation with life satisfaction and self-efficacy. Self-efficacy had a positive correlation with life satisfaction. The study confirmed that loneliness had a partial mediating effect on life satisfaction through self-efficacy. Conclusion: The study discussed ways of enhancing the life satisfaction of university students, the implications of the study findings, and suggestions for future research.

Purpose: This study aimed to develop a standardized protocol of systematic and explicit roles and procedures for paramedics for the maternal and newborn management during prehospital emergency delivery situations. Methods: This study is a methodological study with detailed step-by-step items proposed by an expert group based on evidence from a literature review. The content validity of the proposed preliminary prehospital emergency delivery protocol was verified before the final protocol was confirmed. Results: All 23 detailed items of the preliminary protocol met the reference cut-off (CVI value of 0.8 or higher). After considering, revising, and supplementing expert opinions for each of the 23 items 23 detailed in the proposed protocols, four steps were confirmed. The steps included five items for the management of the imminent mother, 10 items for delivery progress, five items for newborn management, and three items for postpartum management of the mother. Conclusion: This study’s findings may serve as reference for developing future specialized training programs for paramedics, to ensure enhanced competence in prehospital emergency delivery situations. The protocol should be reviewed and revised periodically to ensure currency.

Purpose: This study aims to compare 119 emergency medical services (EMS) in South Korea and Japan to provide essential data for EMS improvement in South Korea. Methods: Recent data and regulations on firefighting and EMS in South Korea and Japan were analyzed and compared. Results: South Korea follows a centralized approach to EMS, whereas Japan operates with autonomous bodies that establish their own criteria. Japan considers more regional variables than South Korea. In South Korea, there are shortages in fire station deployment among the 119 emergency medical resources in certain regions, leading to significant regional disparities. South Korea has a larger population served by its 119 emergency medical resources with a higher workload and dispatch numbers than Japan. The percentage of non-transported patients among the total number of dispatches was higher in South Korea. Conclusion: Increasing the number of medical professionals and ambulances per population to the level of Japan to reflect local conditions and include various underlying variables such as daytime population, aging, and emergency dispatch conditions in the deployment of 119 emergency resources, and to reduce the deployment gap between regions, will contribute to improving the performance of the South Korea EMS system.