To Örebro University

Introduction:Ambulance staff face complex and sometimes stressful or potentially traumaticsituations, not only in disasters but also in theirroutine daily work. The aim of this study wasto survey ambulance managers’ descriptions of crisis support interventions for ambulance staffafter potential traumatic events (PTEs).

Methods:Semistructured interviews with a qualitative descriptive design were conductedwith six ambulance managers in a health care region in central Sweden. The data wasanalyzed using content analysis.

Result:Five categories were found in the result: (1) description of a PTE; (2) descriptionand performance of crisis support interventions; (3) impact of working in potentiallytraumatic situations; (4) the ambulance managers’ role in crisis support interventions;and (5) the ambulance managers’ suggestions for improvement.Ambulance managersdescribed crisis support interventions after a PTE as a single, mandatory group meetingwith a structure reminiscent of debriefing. The ambulance managers also expressed doubtsabout the present structures for crisis support and mentioned an alternative approachwhich is more in line with present evidence-based recommendations.

Conclusion:The results indicated a need for increased understanding of the importanceof the managers’ attitudes for ambulance staff; a need for further implementation ofevidence-based recommendations for crisis support interventions was also highlighted.