Alcohol & Smoking in Paramedicine

Following my recent post about the impact of exposure to traumatic events have on paramedics' mental health and wellbeing, such stress can result in substance abuse and misuse. Occupational stress results from an imbalance between operational demands, personal capacity, and coping strategies. Alcohol and substance misuse is common in all health professions as a coping strategy which further hinders healthy lifestyle practices, impaired performance, poor quality of care and patient outcome, increased absenteeism, and reduced staff retention.

It is uncertain whether substance misuse is a potential cause of PTSD or an outcome of PTSD, however it is evidently prevalent amongst the healthcare worker population. Consequences involved with paramedics and substance misuse include increased risk in harming patients, decreased efficiency in performance, and attrition (Hichisson & Corkery, 2020).

Hichisson, A. D., & Corkery, J. M. (2020). Alcohol/substance use and occupational/post-traumatic stress in paramedics. Journal of Paramedic Practice, 12(10), 388–396. https://doi.org/10.12968/jpar.2020.12.10.388

I strongly promote speaking up and building strong workplace support systems to minimise fear of losing jobs, blame, and shame of personal health challenges amongst paramedics. I firmly encourage any healthcare industries to focus on intervention rather than disciplinary action for practitioners with possible substance misuse tendencies.

Formal counselling is an intervention support system I adopted through Quitline 137848 who provide a team over the phone or on online chat services who are dedicated to behavioural interventions related to substance abuse. Other resources I have previously used and found beneficial include the Alcohol and Drug Foundation Organisation who provide facts, resources, and programs to help prevent alcohol and drug harm; and community-based Alcoholics Anonymous meetings where I am encouraged to share my story and experiences with other people in similar situations.

Alcoholic & Drug Foundation

QuitLine

Alcoholics Anonymous

Sleep & Shift Work for Paramedics

Did you know approximately 16% of Australia’s total population, which is roughly 1.4 million Australians are classified as shift workers? Negative effects of physical and psychological health have been linked to shift work, as homeostatic circadian rhythmicity plays a vital role in an individual’s performance and behaviour. Adverse effects such as excessive sleepiness, depression, chronic sleep disturbances, insomnia, and cognitive impairments have all been commonly reported in shift workers. Other adverse effects include increased risk of disease such as diabetes, weight gain, cardiac issues, stroke, and cancer. Sleep-wake states, alertness, and mental performance are critical for optimal paramedic care; therefore, there is an obvious importance for all first responders to adopt individual and workplace strategies to cope with shift work and to prevent burnout, maintain wellbeing, and ensure high quality care for patients (Savic, et al., 2019) . Savic, M., Ogeil, R. P., Sechtig, M....

Physical Activity & Nutrition for Paramedics

Following my last post discussing the importance of sleep for shift workers, evidence shows there is a link between sleep loss and an increased risk of obesity. Paramedics are at a higher risk of being physically unfit, obese or overweight, and are more likely to smoke, have higher blood pressures, and higher cholesterol. The importance of paramedic physical health and fitness is vital for optimal patient care as the job requires a lot of manual handling and physical demands such as CPR. Healthy eating refers to a regular diet that consists of a variety of food including fruit and vegetables; carbohydrates; proteins such as meat, fish, and eggs; and dairy products. Unhealthy eating can cause diarrhoea, gas, constipation, and indigestion, whilst also causing sleep disturbances which impede healthy lifestyle habits. There is lack of evidence and knowledge as to whether shift workers should adopt nocturnal eating behaviours, however there are strategies I like to incorporate into my...

Stressors That Paramedics Face

Did you know that 51% of reported stressors amongst emergency workers are experiences of traumatic events? This exposure to traumatic events increases risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and psychological distress. Front line workers have an increased risk of developing mental health problems due to the combination of work-related and nonwork-related stressors. Paramedics are subjected to a number of different exposures to traumatic events including disasters, violence, injuries, high work demand, and witnessing death. Stressors for emergency workers not only include re-exposure to traumatic events, but also workplace factors such as lack of support, resource shortages, discrimination, and conflict with management, which additionally increase the risk of depression and PTSD (Kyron, et al., 2019) . Kyron, M. J., Rikkers, W., LaMontagne, A., Bartlett, J., & Lawrence, D. (2019). Work-related and nonwork stressors, PTSD, and psychological distress: Prevalence and attribut...

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