Characteristics of emergency medical technicians involved in ambulance crashes.

OBJECTIVES This study utilizes a [US] national sample of emergency medical services (EMS) professionals to explore the hypothesis that demographic and work-related characteristics are associated with involvement in ambulance crashes. METHODS In 2004, a cohort of nationally registered EMS professionals was surveyed to determine ambulance crash involvement during a 12-month period. Involvement in an ambulance crash was the outcome variable of interest. Demographics such as age, community size, service type, call volume, time spent in an ambulance, and current sleep problems were analyzed as independent variables. A multivariate logistic regression model identified variables associated with involvement in an ambulance crash within the past year. RESULTS Surveys were received from 1,775/5,565 (32.0%) participants; 1,297 (73.1%) met the inclusion criteria. A total of 111 (8.6%) of participants reported being involved in an ambulance crash within the past 12 months. When controlling for call volume and time in an ambulance, the odds of involvement in an ambulance crash within the past year were significantly higher for younger EMS professionals and those reporting sleep problems. CONCLUSIONS Results from this analysis suggest age and sleep problems are associated with involvement in an ambulance crash. Future studies should investigate interventions to minimize the effects of these associations.