Evaluating the level of professional moral courage of pre-hospital emergency staff in the management of patients with COVID-19

Background. Emergency Medical Services (EMS) are an important part of the healthcare system. Decision making is the most important part of their profession, as they often have to make a quick decision and act upon it, despite the critical conditions of the patient. They are often the first to deal with COVID-19, and they experience severe physical, mental or moral stress. Objectives. The aim of this study was to determine the level of Professional Moral Courage (PMC) of Pre-Hospital Emergency (PHE) staff in the management of patients with COVID-19. Material and methods. This descriptive, analytical study was conducted in 2020. A total of 200 PHE staff entered the study, recruited by the census sampling method. Data collection was undertaken using a validated moral courage questionnaire. The data was analyzed using SPSS version/21 with descriptive and analytic tests. Results. The mean age of the participants was 34.42 +/- 7.14, and mean of their work experience was 10.29 +/- 6.59 years, of the mean moral courage score was 90.77 +/- 2.97. There was a significant relationship between the mean score of moral courage and age, type of employment and participation in disaster exercises and training courses (p < 0.001). Conclusions. The findings of the study showed a significant relationship between various variables and level of moral courage in PHE staff. Awareness of the moral courage of PHE staff is the first step to improve their preparedness. This study provides evidence of the need and potential positive impact of moral education opportunities for healthcare team.