Spotlight on Research
Harari Y, Riemer R, Jaff E, Wacht O, Bitan Y. Paramedic equipment bags: how their position during out-of-hospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) affect paramedic ergonomics and performance. Appl Ergonomics. 2020; 82:102977
The position of bags during an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) may not be seen as a priority for many paramedics. However, Harari et al (2019) argue that paramedics are at a high risk of musculoskeletal (MSK) injuries and that paramedic performance is affected by where bags are placed and moved during an OHCA. Their study examined 12 teams of paramedics (two per team) during a simulated OHCA. Measurements included bag placement, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) quality, physiological effort and biomechanical loads. Although conducted in Israel, personnel and equipment bags were not dissimilar to UK practice.
Results established that despite a relatively low mean number of bag movements (6.8), the mean biomechanical load force exerted was high (89N), resulting in 72% of paramedic movements associated with a high to very high risk of an MSK injury. The positioning of bags appeared to negatively affect CPR quality, with a mean of 68% of compressions within the recommended rate, and only 27% within the recommended depth. Physiologically, there was no significant difference between paramedics' heart rates or perceived effort.
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