Improving emergency medical services in the context of paramedic training: a phenomenological study

This research aims to identify the problems faced by paramedics in their training process and in emergency medical service units in Turkey. The study employed phenomenological design, a qualitative research method. Fifteen participants, selected considering excess and saturation criteria, constituted the study group. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews conducted face-to-face or by telephone. The research data were analyzed using thematic analysis with the MAXQDA program. The study identified factors negatively impacting the training process of emergency medical technician candidates and the delivery of emergency medical services. Furthermore, the variation of these factors according to emergency departments and emergency medical stations has been revealed. Interviews were conducted with 15 participants as part of the research. Thematic-constructivist content analysis processes were used to analyze the obtained data. The analysis resulted in the identification of 15 sub-codes, 36 codes, and 10 sub-themes. According to the research findings, the problems varied depending on the dynamics of the units providing emergency health services. While issues at emergency medical service stations were linked to the system itself, problems in emergency departments were associated with patients and the attitudes and behaviors of healthcare personnel. Furthermore, participants identified the high number of students in these units as a significant issue that negatively affected both the educational process and service delivery. The aim of this research is to contribute to the improvement of emergency medical services by developing recommendations related to the identified problems.