title: Pre-hospital burn mission as a unique experience: a qualitative study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A thorough understanding of experiences related to pre-hospital emergency care of burns is a prerequisite of skill promotion for medical personnel. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the experiences of pre-hospital emergency personnel during burn accidents.
  
  
  METHODS
  The present qualitative study was performed using a content analysis method. In total, 18 Iranian emergency care personnel participated in the study. A purposeful sampling method was applied until reaching data saturation. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and field observations. Afterwards, the gathered data were analyzed through face content analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  By analyzing 498 primary codes, four main categories; the nature of burn care, tension at the accident scene, gradual job 'burnout', and insufficient information, were extracted from the experiences of pre-hospital emergency personnel during burn care. These categories each included several sub-categories, which were classified according to their significant characteristics.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study showed that different factors affect the quality of pre-hospital clinical services for burns. Authorities and health system administrators should consider the physical and psychological health of their staff, and assign policies to improve the quality of pre-hospital medical care. According to the present results, it is recommended that the process of pre-hospital emergency care for burns be investigated further.
authors.affiliation: University of Social Welfare & Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Electronic address: Froutanr@mums.ac.ir.
authors.forename: Razieh
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Froutan
authors.affiliation: University of Social Welfare & Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Department of Clinical Science and Education, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. Electronic address: hrkhankeh@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Hamid Reza
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Khankeh
authors.affiliation: University of Social Welfare & Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Masoud
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fallahi
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Fazlollah
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ahmadi
authors.affiliation: University of Social Welfare & Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Kian
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Norouzi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002055:Burnout, Professional / Q000209:etiology; D002056:Burns / Q000628:therapy*; D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000592:standards*; D004634:Emergency Medical Technicians / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran; D008297:Male; D036301:Qualitative Research; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000209:etiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Burn care; Content analysis; Pre-hospital emergency personnel; Qualitative study