Attitudes and Perceptions of Emergency Medical Service Providers' Role in Educating Patients: A Cross-Sectional Survey
Open Access
- Author:
- Phillips, Troy Allan
- Graduate Program:
- Workforce Education and Development
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- February 21, 2024
- Committee Members:
- Wesley Donahue, Major Field Member
Mark Threeton, Chair & Dissertation Advisor
Chris Hollenbeak, Special Member
Ian Paul, Outside Unit & Field Member
Heather Zimmerman, Professor in Charge/Director of Graduate Studies
Joey Fleck, Major Field Member
Chris Hollenbeak, Outside Field Member - Keywords:
- Experiential Learning
Emergency Medical Services
Patient Education
Survey
Competency
Emergency Medical Technician
EMT
Paramedic
Health Literacy - Abstract:
- This study investigates emergency medical services (EMS) providers and their attitudes about providing patient education. The role of EMS providers in healthcare continues to evolve, resulting in potential competency gaps in areas not covered in the standard EMS education curriculum. Patient education is supported in the literature to improve health literacy and clinical outcomes. To accomplish this goal, clinicians need to develop a competency around educating patients. The components of competency include skill, knowledge, behavior, and attitude. The goal of this study is to identify the relationship between EMS providers and their perceived importance of patient education and preparedness to educate patients. EMS providers’ education and experience may play a role in their perception of the importance of patient education and preparedness to educate patients. This study uses a competency model established by CanMEDS and associated controlling, explaining, listening, and influencing (CELI) tools as the conceptual framework. A quantitative study was performed by developing a cross-sectional survey to analyze the relationships between the EMS provider’s education and experience with their perception of the competencies from the CELI framework. Survey participants were current and former adult EMS providers identified through a convenience sample with snowballing. A total of 370 surveys were accepted, with the majority being white males. The survey consisted of 16 practices divided into four competencies and scored using a Likert scale. The results showed the majority of EMS providers of all certification levels perceived patient education as important. It also showed a significant difference between levels of certification in their preparedness to educate patients, and providers with more years of experience reported feeling more prepared. Other demographic factors were analyzed with a weak relationship with feeling prepared to deliver patient education. The study provides support for EMS administrators, educators, and training officers to investigate initiatives for developing and improving the patient education competency of their students and teams, focusing on programs for EMS providers at entry-level certification levels.