Challenges faced by the EMS in the fight against COVID-19
COVID-19 is a global health pandemic that has claimed lives and led to a loss of a significant amount of resources (Jaffe et al., 1526). This topic is of salient role to EMS clinicians and paramedics, who will find it valuable in offering solutions to challenges within their line duty. Emergency outbreaks in pandemics have prompted similar medical responses to combat both impacts and spread. In this light, Emergency medical services (EMS) have proved crucial in the global control of transmission of COVID-19. However, they have faced challenges in effecting duties, which calls for accurate strategies that would boost the medical response services to COVID-19. This study will highlight the roles and challenges faced by the EMS in the fight against COVID-19.
Emergency Medical Services (EMS)
The spread of COVID-19 has seen EMS boost its efforts in various capacities to enable the provision of critical real-time data. Medical programs in control of COVD-19 have relied on these data to understand levels of infections, especially in low- and middle-income nations (Maguire et al., n.p). Countries have utilized EMS services for a reduced viral outbreak in areas experiencing low cases. However, the agency has challenges that stem from the burden of handling inflating rates of a pandemic and low provision of personal protective equipment. Furthermore, Maguire et al. point to the ethical challenges of EMS in the context of decision-making, whereby clinicians have problems choosing between serving infected people and protecting their families who might be jeopardized in terms of infection. If EMS doctors continue to engage the infected patients with little protection, it would negatively affect families and friends who may contract the disease as a second-line victim. It is plausible to contract a viral infection during patient handling. Therefore, EMS doctors must protect themselves.
Duties of EMS have been curtailed with little provision of protective equipment, which shall have negative impacts on medical services. However, EMS has dealt with global control programs in COVID-19 pandemic with relentless energy despite the low level of protection for paramedics and clinicians (Maguire et al., n.p). Medical data that helps in designing of control methods have been primarily attributed to the EMS and the WHO reports. The EMS medical data have revealed staggering rates of infections, new outbreaks, contact traces, and emergent programs for reduced transmission.