Identification of Traffic Accidents Scene Management Challenges from the Perspective of East Azerbaijan State Road Emergency Services's Workers and Providing Appropriate Solutions

Abstract

Abstract Introduction:Every year, tens of thousands of traffic accidents happen on the roads, each of which as a matter of urgency need to be urgently should be helped and managed. Managing these scenes is accompanied by the challenges which the present study addresses. Materials and Methods:In this study, texts published in international databases of Web of Science, Scopus, Medline, Google scholar, and also Iranian databases such as SID, Magiran, Iranmedex, Irandoc and dedicated accident databases (Safetylit and safelir) were systematically searched using the keywords "traffic accidents" and "scene management". All extracted articles were screened and finally 13 articles were included in the study. Then, in a qualitative study and a panel of experts, data were collected through semi-structured deep interviews with emergency rescuers and were coded using the framework analyzing method and finally categories and subcategories were extracted from the same code integration. Results:The challenges of accident scene management were categorized into six categories, namely: complexity of the nature of scene management, lack of coordination, management of passers-by and the volunteers, lack of equipment and supplies, lack of infrastructure and lack of skills of the people involved in the scene management. Main categories found in the qualitative interviews and the expert panel were: Infrastructure problems, lack of preparation among rescuers, prioritization of injuries, deficiencies and limitations, hazardous materials management, communication problems, lack of coordination, lack of mental and physical safety of paramedics and finally cultural & social problems. Conclusion:Traffic accident scene management is difficult for various reasons in the world and Iran, some of which are due to the challenging nature of the accident scene. But most of these challenges can be addressed by developing comprehensive programs, training, equipment & supplies, providing infrastructure and coordination.