the relationship between covid-19 exposure risk and burnout in prehospital emergency medical technicians

Introduction: exposure to coronavirus disease 2019 (covid-19) has caused many physical and psychological effects on front-line healthcare workers (hcws). this study aimed to assess the relationship between the exposure risk to covid-19 disease and burnout in prehospital emergency medical technicians (emts). methods: in this correlational study, 335 prehospital emts were selected by random sampling method from the 49 stations of emergency medical services in the northwest of iran. data were collected using a questionnaire developed by the world health organization for the risk assessment and management of exposure of health care workers to covid-19. moreover, pines burnout measure was used for the assessment of participants’ burnout. data were analyzed using spss version 13. results: results showed that 30.7 % of prehospital emts had a high burnout score against covid-19 disease. the prehospital emts who had a high occupational exposure risk experienced a high risk of burnout (p=0.03). the results of the linear regression analysis showed that prehospital emts who had a low exposure risk of covid-19 had a low burnout score (β=-9.30; p<0.001), and those who had less than 10 years of work experience showed less burnout (β=-10.54; p<0.001). conclusion: according to the results, the exposure risk to covid-19 increases the prehospital emt’s burnout. as a result, reducing the exposure risk to covid-19 by providing adequate access to personal protective equipment (ppe), development of training and following standards and protocols can be effective in controlling burnout in hcws.