Health problems among Swedish ambulance personnel: long-term risks compared to other professions in Sweden – a longitudinal register study
Open accessAbstract
Objectives. This study aimed to investigate whether Swedish ambulance personnel differ in the extent of suffering from health problems compared to other occupational groups. Methods. Two cohorts of ambulance personnel from 2001 and 2008, with 1778 and 2753 individuals, respectively, were followed regarding assignment of diagnostic coding (International Classification of Diseases codes) until 2016. These two cohorts represent all who were employed as ambulance personnel by public employers during these years. Two comparison groups were added: other healthcare workers and other professions. All data were retrieved from national registers. The χ2 test was were used for statistical calculation. Results. Swedish ambulance personnel are at a significantly higher risk of being affected by ‘Paroxysmal tachycardia, atrial fibrillation and flutter, other cardiac arrhythmias’, by ‘Other intervertebral disc disorders’ and by ‘Arthropathies’, when compared to both comparison groups in both cohorts. Almost similar results were seen for ‘Gonarthrosis’ and for ‘Dorsopathies’. Conclusions. Swedish ambulance personnel run the risk of being affected by certain diseases and injuries to a greater extent compared to other professions.
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Paramedics have higher rates of musculoskeletal and back injuries due to the manual handling requirements associated with operating in hostile and unpredictable environments.
“Paramedics have higher rates of musculoskeletal and back injuries due to the manual handling requirements associated with operating in hostile and unpredictable environments (Karlsson et al., 2022).”
From Understanding the Occupational Factors that Influence Paramedic Health and Wellbeing (2024) · cites this paper as Karlsson et al., 2022
The Background reports elevated musculoskeletal injury risk among ambulance personnel, and the Discussion links neck and back problems to heavy lifting and moving patients in cramped, unsuitable spaces (page numbers not provided). The paper does not establish that these injuries are caused by working in hostile or unpredictable environments; it discusses threats of violence separately in relation to stress. (LLM, conf=0.85)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredParamedics have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, most notably atrial fibrillation, compared to other occupational groups.
“Paramedics have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease most notably atrial fibrillation.”
From Understanding the Occupational Factors that Influence Paramedic Health and Wellbeing (2024) · cites this paper as Karlsson, K., Nasic, S., Lundberg, L., Martensson, J. & Jonsson, A. 2022
Paramedics report increased knee arthritis and back problems compared to other occupational groups.
“They also report increased of knee arthritis and back problems than other occupational groups.”
From Understanding the Occupational Factors that Influence Paramedic Health and Wellbeing (2024) · cites this paper as Karlsson, K., Nasic, S., Lundberg, L., Martensson, J. & Jonsson, A. 2022
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“Other commonly reported job demands among paramedics are environmental, sociocultural and organisational; critical incidents causing psychological distress [19]; traumatic events concerning patient care [20]; the threat of violence from patients and bystanders [21]; and the risks related to alarm-vehicle driving [22],…”
BackgroundUnderstanding the Occupational Factors that Influence Paramedic Health and Wellbeing
Betts, C., Stoneley, A., Anderson, J., & Sutton, C. (2024) · International Journal of Paramedicine · doi:10.56068/mnrg8307 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
- Authors
- Karlsson, K., Nasic, S., Lundberg, L., Mårtensson, J., & Jonsson, A.
- Affiliations
- Skaraborg Hospital (SE)
- University of Borås (SE)
- Jönköping University (SE)
- School of Health Sciences, Borås University, Sweden
- Corresponding author
- Karlsson, Kåre
- Venue
- International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2021-03-02
- Volume
- 28
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 1130-1135
- ISSN
- 1080-3548 (ISSN-L)
- 2376-9130
- OpenAlex
- W3127145875
- Cited by
- 8
- References
- 3
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 1
- FWCI
- 2.88
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Diva portal (Dalarna University Library) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › Occupational Therapy › Occupational Health and Performance
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › Occupational Therapy › Occupational Health and Safety in Workplaces
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Workplace Health and Well-being
- Keywords
- ambulance personnel, occupational health, occupational disease risk, cardiac arrhythmias, atrial fibrillation, intervertebral disc disease, joint diseases, knee osteoarthritis, dorsopathy, healthcare workers, long-term health effects
- MeSH terms
- Ambulances, Health Personnel, Humans, Longitudinal Studies, Sweden
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