Ambulance traffic accidents and their impact on prehospital personnel: a mixed-methods study.
Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine · 2025-12-05 · Method & validation
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Prehospital personnel operate in environments with a significant risk of on-duty traffic accidents. We investigated the prevalence and characteristics of on-duty ambulance traffic accidents and explored how prehospital personnel perceive and experience accidents involving occupational injury. METHODS: This mixed-methods study combined a quantitative analysis of accidents including prehospital vehicles in the Region of Southern Denmark from 2017 through 2022 with qualitative interviews and a focus group. All vehicles damaged in accidents were identified. Through occupational injury reports, we identified personnel reporting injuries following an on-duty traffic accident. To capture the experiences of prehospital personnel, we conducted two individual interviews and a focus group. Accident data were analysed by type and location. Qualitative data were analysed using Malterud's Systematic Text Condensation. RESULTS: Within the study period, 562,612 emergency missions were carried out in the Region of Southern Denmark. We identified 120 moderate or severe on-duty accidents (0.02%). Most accidents occurred at intersections, on highways, or involved animals. The qualitative analysis resulted in three categories: 1. Recognising the risk while fearing consequences during emergency driving, 2. Acting within a masculinised work culture, 3. Struggling to recognise the need for personal support. CONCLUSION: Although the risk of on-duty ambulance accidents is low, their psychological consequences are notable. Prehospital personnel request structured post-incident protocols and organisational support to change work culture and enhance safety and well-being. Organisational interventions that address both the operational and emotional dimensions of ambulance accidents are required.
Abstract © the authors or publisher, via PubMed. Reuse and removal
Tags
Ambulance vehicle & crash safety · Clinician perspective · Lights & sirens · Time intervals
Related articles
- Is Use of Warning Lights and Sirens Associated With Increased Risk of Ambulance Crashes? A Contemporary Analysis Using National EMS Information System (NEMSIS) Data. (Ann Emerg Med, 2019)
- Ambulance and helicopter response time. Association with patient outcome and illness severity: Protocol of a systematic literature review and meta-analysis. (Acta Anaesthesiol Scand, 2024)
- Time saved with high speed driving of ambulances. (Accid Anal Prev, 2011)
- Knowledge and Beliefs of EMS Providers toward Lights and Siren Transportation. (West J Emerg Med, 2015)
- Deaths following prehospital safety incidents: an analysis of a national database. (Emerg Med J, 2016)
- The Estimated Benefit of Lights and Sirens During Ambulance Transport. (Prehosp Emerg Care, 2026)