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Vol.38 No.1 contents | Japanese/English |
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Full Text of PDF (625K) Article in Japanese |
Status of Infection Prevention Measures for Emergency Medical Technicians and Identification of Fire Department-Specific Issues
Hitoshi SAWADA1), Miyuki KAKINE2), Kazuhiro SEKINE1) and Atsushi HIRAIDE1)
1)Department of Emergency Medical Science, Faculty of Health Sciences, Kyoto Tachibana University, 2)Rakuwakai Otowa Hospital
Purpose: This study aimed to investigate infection prevention measures for Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) and to elucidate issues specific to fire departments.
Target: Consent was obtained from 30 EMTs from three municipal fire departments that cooperated in this research.
Method: At the target fire departments, the participants were directly interviewed, and the facility was inspected. Furthermore, the N95 mask-wearing procedure was evaluated, and a quantitative fit test was conducted.
Results: The personal protective equipment worn by the EMTs was unique to the fire department in feature and handling. Zoning measures were established in the facility, but the boundaries were ambiguous. The shapes and sizes of the N95 masks the participants had were limited, and the participants were not able to freely choose N95 masks that fit their faces. In the evaluation of the N95 mask-wearing procedure, 20 participants did not check the user seal when wearing the N95 mask. In the quantitative fit test, three participants passed the total fit factor of 100 or more. The pass/fail result of the quantitative fit test was related to EMT affiliation (P < 0.05) but not to the presence or absence of paramedic qualifications or the evaluation of the wearing procedure.
Conclusion: Protecting EMTs from infection is important for crisis management in fire departments; however, current fire departments have unique issues regarding infection control. For EMTs to safely perform missions in the field, the issues facing fire departments must be resolved, and systematic efforts for infection control must be continually supported.
Key words：firefighting, personal protective equipment, N95 mask, fit test
e-mail: sawada＠tachibana-u.ac.jp
Received: January 6, 2022
Accepted: September 15, 2022
38 (1)：7─15,2023
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