Stress and salivary cortisol in emergency medical dispatchers: A randomized shifts control trial

PloS One
Sarah BediniFrédéric Dutheil

Abstract

Stress at work is a public health concern. Phone operators in emergency medical dispatch centers are particularly at risk. We aimed to demonstrate that the most stressful time for emergency medical dispatchers is the shift when they receive emergency incoming calls, with cortisol as a biomarker of stress. For each emergency medical dispatcher, we measured outcomes over a control day and during three types of shift: Incoming emergency call, Dispatch and Re-assessment. The pattern of shifts was randomized. Saliva was sampled every 15 minutes for 2 hours, i.e. 6 consecutive times, starting 15 minutes after the first life-and-death incoming emergency call between 2 and 5 pm during three types of shift. We measured saliva cortisol every 2 hours over a control day, from 7am to 9pm. Perceived stress was assessed by a visual analog scale. We recruited 22 phone operators aged 36.4+/-10.8 years old (14 women and 8 men). Cortisol values were higher during the Incoming emergency call shift than during the Dispatch (p = .04) and Re-assessment (p = .04) shifts. The increase in cortisol levels was greater in men than in women (p = .009). There were no differences between control values and those of the three shifts. The kinetics of cortisol i...Continue Reading

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Citations

Apr 14, 2020·Academic Emergency Medicine : Official Journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine·Todd P ChangJoshua M Sherman
Jan 29, 2020·AEM Education and Training·Matthew L WongLeon D Sanchez
Apr 9, 2020·Academic Emergency Medicine : Official Journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine·Jeffrey A KlineAlan M Beck
May 1, 2021·International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health·Daniel Pérez-ValdecantosAlfredo Córdova
Apr 20, 2018··Abigail SellenCarman Neustaedter
Jun 11, 2018··Samarth SinghalCarman Neustaedter

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