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Research article
A Study of Pre-hospital Emergency Care Personnel's Perception of Ethical Dilemmas in the Field: a qualitative study
Mostafa Bijani
Fasa University of Medical Science
Corresponding Author
License:
This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License. Read Full License
Background
Due to their unpredictable and critical working conditions, pre-hospital emergency care personnel experience difficult and complicated situations in the field presenting them with various ethical dilemmas which affect their clinical decisions. Lack of studies on the ethical dilemmas which pre-hospital emergency care personnel face necessitates more research into these ethical challenges and dilemmas. The present study aims to determine pre-hospital emergency care personnel's perception of the ethical dilemmas they face in the field.
Methods
The present study is a work of qualitative research with a content analysis approach. Data were collected through semi-structured, in-depth interviews and field notes. The collected data were analyzed using conventional content analysis. The participants were 25 pre-hospital emergency care personnel members in Iran who met the inclusion criteria. They were selected via purposeful sampling which was continued to saturation point. The study lasted from February to May 2020.
Results
Two main themes—paradox in decision-making and patients' ethics and values—with 8 categories were extracted from the collected data.
Conclusion
The results of the present study show that, in the field, pre-hospital emergency care personnel confront various ethical dilemmas which create paradoxes in their professional performance and ethical decisions. Yet, they should make the best ethical decision and provide care combined with respect for patients' ethical identities and beliefs to achieve satisfactory medical care results. To provide high-quality care, pre-hospital emergency care personnel must be provided with a proper cultural, professional, and organizational environment which is free of ethical distress.
Keywords
Ethical dilemmas, pre-hospital emergency, care, qualitative research
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This is a preprint. It has not completed peer review.
Research article
A Study of Pre-hospital Emergency Care Personnel's Perception of Ethical Dilemmas in the Field: a qualitative study
Mostafa Bijani
Fasa University of Medical Science
Corresponding Author
Badges
Prescreen
This manuscript passed our Prescreen assessment
Complete author information
Appropriate declaration statements
Potential risks to human health
Prescreen
History
CURRENT STATUS: Posted
Version 1
Posted 19 Jun, 2020
No community comments so far
Metrics
Comments: 0
PDF Downloads: ...
HTML Views: ...
Subject Areas
Medical Ethics
License:
This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License. Read Full License
Background
Due to their unpredictable and critical working conditions, pre-hospital emergency care personnel experience difficult and complicated situations in the field presenting them with various ethical dilemmas which affect their clinical decisions. Lack of studies on the ethical dilemmas which pre-hospital emergency care personnel face necessitates more research into these ethical challenges and dilemmas. The present study aims to determine pre-hospital emergency care personnel's perception of the ethical dilemmas they face in the field.
Methods
The present study is a work of qualitative research with a content analysis approach. Data were collected through semi-structured, in-depth interviews and field notes. The collected data were analyzed using conventional content analysis. The participants were 25 pre-hospital emergency care personnel members in Iran who met the inclusion criteria. They were selected via purposeful sampling which was continued to saturation point. The study lasted from February to May 2020.
Results
Two main themes—paradox in decision-making and patients' ethics and values—with 8 categories were extracted from the collected data.
Conclusion
The results of the present study show that, in the field, pre-hospital emergency care personnel confront various ethical dilemmas which create paradoxes in their professional performance and ethical decisions. Yet, they should make the best ethical decision and provide care combined with respect for patients' ethical identities and beliefs to achieve satisfactory medical care results. To provide high-quality care, pre-hospital emergency care personnel must be provided with a proper cultural, professional, and organizational environment which is free of ethical distress.