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This was a study of the lived experiences of prehospital providers and the impact of wearing body armor on their risk-taking behaviors. Prehospital providers are the initial health care providers at disaster scenes and are generally state-certified or -licensed firefighters, emergency medical technicians, and paramedics who practice emergency assessment and care in the out-of-hospital setting. Rational choice theory was the theoretical framework of the study. Scholars have extensively utilized rational choice theory in various areas of emergency services research but not in the prehospital provider environment. In semistructured interviews, 14 prehospital providers discussed their lived experiences of scene safety, assaults, risk-taking, and body armor used in the field. Five fundamental themes emerged through data analysis: experience, demographics, training, communication, and standard operating procedures. The results of this study could fill the gap in the literature on the risk-taking behaviors of prehospital providers after the implementation of body armor. The results showed the need for administrators and policymakers to improve standard operating procedures and policies to combat the increasing rate of assaults that occur on prehospital providers and reduce the impact of assaults when they occur.
Advisor: | O'Connor, Michael |
Commitee: | Lannon, Mary K., Kerwood, Scott |
School: | Capella University |
Department: | School of Public Service Leadership |
School Location: | United States -- Minnesota |
Source: | DAI-A 82/1(E), Dissertation Abstracts International |
Source Type: | DISSERTATION |
Subjects: | Law enforcement |
Keywords: | Body armor, Law enforcement, Prehospital provider, Risk-taking |
Publication Number: | 28000830 |
ISBN: | 9798662398139 |