Continuity of an essential service during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review and meta-analysis of vaccine perceptions and hesitancy in the emergency medical services profession
Abstract
During and subsequent to a natural disaster, there is an expectation that certain elements of society will continue to operate with a degree of normalcy. For example, it is expected that emergency medical services will continue to function and remain reliable for the community served. Expectations such as these are based on the presumed reliability of government and the assumption that those responsible for the relevant infrastructure will have made plans to ensure it remains functional and taken steps to mitigate known weaknesses. The COVID-19 pandemic provides a case in point. Specifically, data captured during the pandemic are now the subject of ongoing review and analysis, and the findings from such studies are being used to inform planning and preparedness for the next public health disaster. This particular study was conducted in response to circumstantial evidence indicating that frontline workers in the healthcare profession may share some of the same ambivalence towards transmission mitigation as seen in the general population when confronted with new and emerging communicable diseases. This is a concern, as when medical personnel are either unable or unwilling to take reasonable steps to protect themselves and their patients, it undermines the readiness of the essential service. To explore this situation in greater depth, the study examines the real-time responses from a sample of frontline personnel interviewed during the pandemic. The results indicate that there are a number of opportunities to improve workforce readiness to assure reliable continuity during the next outbreak, epidemic or pandemic.
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Author's Biography
Randy D. Kearns is Associate Professor of Healthcare Management and Disaster Management at the University of New Orleans, and director of the institution’s BS in healthcare management programme. Dr Kearns is also a research associate professor at Louisiana State University — Health Science Center — New Orleans, and a former clinical assistant professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr Kearns earned his master of science in administration from Central Michigan University and holds a doctorate in healthcare administration and executive leadership from the Medical University of South Carolina. Dr Kearns is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and a Fellow of the Royal Society for Public Health. Dr Kearns has been involved in more than 25 federally declared disasters, and was recently recognised by the International Association of Emergency Managers as the first Certified Emergency Manager to reach 30 years of continued certification.
Ginny R. Kaplan is an assistant professor at Methodist University, and Chair of its Department of Health Care Administration and Advanced Paramedicine. She has been involved in emergency medical services (EMS) for nearly 25 years as a paramedic and instructor, including 20 years as a programme director. She is a Fellow of the Academy of Emergency Medical Services through the National Association of EMS Physicians, and has won multiple national and international awards, including EMS Educator of the Year and the global EMS10 Award. Dr Kaplan volunteers for several peer-reviewed journals; serves as Executive Director of the Foundation for Prehospital Medicine Research; and is passionate about research, innovation and mentoring.
Michael W. Hubble is an assistant professor in the EMS Department at Wake Technical Community College, and adjunct faculty in the Department of Emergency Health Services at the University of Maryland Baltimore County. His primary research interests include resuscitation, trauma, infectious disease preparedness and the cost-effectiveness of paramedic interventions, and he has written one textbook and more than 40 research articles. He has over 40 years of experience in the emergency medical services (EMS) profession and has worked in various roles including paramedic, critical care paramedic, EMS manager and EMS educator. He holds an MBA from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and a doctorate in public policy from the University of Maryland Baltimore County.
Citation
Kearns, Randy D., Kaplan, Ginny R. and Hubble, Michael W. (2024, September 1). Continuity of an essential service during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review and meta-analysis of vaccine perceptions and hesitancy in the emergency medical services profession. In the Journal of Business Continuity & Emergency Planning, Volume 18, Issue 1. https://doi.org/10.69554/TLHR2902.
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