Infection prevention and control for the emergency medical services and 911 workforce
CONCLUSIONS: Moderate evidence exists on the epidemiology of infections and effectiveness of IPC practices in EMS and 911 workers, including hand hygiene, standard precautions, mandatory vaccine policies, and vaccine clinics. Most evidence is observational, with widely varying methods, outcomes, and...
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| Corporate Authors: | , |
| Format: | eBook |
| Language: | English |
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Rockville, MD
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
2022, November 2022
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| Series: | Technical brief
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| Online Access: | |
| Collection: | National Center for Biotechnology Information - Collection details see MPG.ReNa |
| Summary: | CONCLUSIONS: Moderate evidence exists on the epidemiology of infections and effectiveness of IPC practices in EMS and 911 workers, including hand hygiene, standard precautions, mandatory vaccine policies, and vaccine clinics. Most evidence is observational, with widely varying methods, outcomes, and reporting. More research is needed on personal protective equipment effectiveness and vaccine acceptance, and better guidance is needed for research methods in the EMS and 911 worker setting RESULTS: Twenty-five observational studies reported on the epidemiology of infections in the EMS and 911 workforce. They did not report demographic differences except for a higher risk of hepatitis C in older workers and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in minorities. EMS clinicians certified/licensed in Advanced Life Support have a high risk for blood and fluid exposure, and EMS clinicians had a higher risk of hospitalization or death from SARS-CoV-2 than firefighters whose roles were not primarily related to medical care. Eleven observational studies reported on infection prevention and control practices (IPC), providing some evidence that hand hygiene, standard precautions, mandatory vaccine policies, and on-site vaccine clinics are effective. Research on IPC in EMS and 911 workers has increased significantly since the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. OBJECTIVES: To summarize current evidence on exposures to infectious pathogens in the emergency medical services (EMS) and 911 workforce, and on practices for preventing, recognizing, and controlling occupationally acquired infectious diseases and related exposures in that workforce. REVIEW METHODS: We obtained advice on how to answer four Guiding Questions by recruiting a panel of external experts on EMS clinicians, State-level EMS leadership, and programs relevant to EMS personnel, and by engaging representatives of professional societies in infectious diseases and emergency medicine. We searched PubMed(r), Embase(r), CINAHL(r), and SCOPUS from January 2006 to March 2022 for relevant studies. We also searched for reports from State and Federal Government agencies or nongovernmental organizations interested in infection prevention and control in the EMS and 911 workforce. |
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| Physical Description: | 1 PDF file (various pagings) illustrations |