This document discusses various aspects of paramedic well-being. It covers four components of well-being: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. For physical well-being, it discusses topics like nutrition, weight control, exercise, smoking, shift work, and health assessments. Mental well-being involves dealing with stress, while emotional well-being requires balancing work and personal life. Stress, grief, and preventing disease transmission are also covered.

1. PARAMEDIC
WELL-BEING
S.YASITHA

2. CONTENTS
 Introduction
 Components of well being
-Physical well being
-Mental well being
-Emotional well being
-Spirutual well being
 Stress
 Dealing with death, dying, grief and loss
 Prevention of disease transmission

3. PARAMEDIC:
Highly trained and skilled medical professional who
examine, evaluate and treat the patient usually found in ED
WELL-BEING:
It is defined as the quality or state of being in good
health
INTRODUCTION

4. Physical
Well-
being
Mental
Well-
being
Emotional
Well-
being
Spiritual
Well-
being
COMPONENTS OF WELL-BEING

5. IT includes several factors such as
NUTRITION
● Nutrients are food that hold the elements necessary for body function
● The USDA dietary guidelines for Americans suggest eating foods from six
categories (fruits, vegetables, proteins, grains, dairy products and oils).
● Hydration during EMS work is critical
PHYSICAL WELL-BEING

7. WEIGHT CONTROL
Over weight- increased risk of certain illness (HTN, DM, Heart disease etc)
The USDA’s dietary guidelines include the following key principles:
● Follow a healthy eating pattern across the lifespan.
● Focus on variety, nutrient density, and amount.
● Limit calories from added sugars and saturated fats and reduce sodium
intake.
● Shift to healthier food and beverage choices.
● Support healthy eating patterns for all.

8. EXERCISE
● Regular exercise is associated with overall body weight, nutritional status,
and hydration.
● Aim to maintain, or improve, three areas: your cardiovascular endurance,
flexibility, physical strength, sleep, mental capacity, ability to cope with
stress, sex life, and overall long-term health.
● In general, it is recommended that adults engage in at least 30 minutes of
moderate to vigorous physical activity every day to help build optimal
cardiovascular endurance.

9. SMOKING ,TOBACCO AND ALCOHOL USE
This leads to addiction and dependence
CIRCARDIAN RHYTHMS AND SHIFT WORK
o Interruption in circardian rhythm(natural timing system) causes difficulties with
sleep, physical coordination, social functions etc
o Some tips for dealing with shift work are as follows:
● Avoid caffeine.
● Eat healthy meals and try to eat at the same times every day.
● Keep a regular sleep schedule.

10. PERIODIC HEALTH RISK ASSESSMENT
Beside diet, exercise, hydration hereditary factors also effects the overall
health
BODY MECHANICS
• Minimize the number of total body lifts you have to perform.
• Coordinate every lift prior to performing the lift
• Minimize the amount of weight you have to lift
• Never lift with your back
• Do not carry what you can put on wheels.
• Ask for help.

11. ● Commonly exposed to STRESS
● Stress – fight or fright response activated – physiological responses (
increased sympathetic tone results in dilation of pupils, increased HR etc,
● However, to maintain your mental well-being for the long term, you need to
be able to balance stressful situations with the use of appropriate coping
skills.
MENTAL WELL-BEING

12. ● You need to make a deliberate effort to create a healthy balance between
your work and home life.
● Need to be able to deal with the stress that you are exposed to on the job.
● A common stressor in EMS is how to deal with patient disability and death.
● Another common stressor is the “frequent flyer,” and the combative
and/or belligerent patient
EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING

13. ● Any event that causes you to react physically, emotionally, or mentally is
considered stress
● Hans Selye, MD, PhD, considered the so-called father of stress theory
● Selye classified stress into two categories:
- eustress (positive stress), the kind of stress that motivates a
person to achieve
- distress (negative stress), the stress that a person finds
overwhelming and debilitating
STRESS

14. ● Loss of a loved one (death of a spouse, family member, close friend, or
colleague) or of a valued possession
● Personal injury or illness
● A major life event (starting or finishing school, marriage, divorce,
pregnancy, or having children leave home)
●
● Job-related stress (conflicts with others, excessive responsibility, the
possibility of losing a job, or changing a job
WHAT TRIGGERS STRESS

16. ● Anxiety disorder that occur following a traumatic event includes
- Combat exposure
- Child abuse
- Sexual or physical assault
- Serious accidents
POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD)

18. STAGES OF GRIEVING PROCESS
■ Stage 1: Denial
Denial is a mechanism by which people attempt to ignore a problem or pretend it does not exist.
Allow people enough time to work through this stage and offer assistance only if they ask for it.
■ Stage 2: Anger
When people can no longer deny the reality of a situation, anger over the loss may replace denial.
Some people may exhibit their anger through physical actions; be prepared for that reaction and keep
yourself and others safe.
■ Stage 3: Bargaining
When anger does not change the painful reality of a situation, people may resort to bargaining, that
is, trying to make some sort of deal in hopes of postponing the inevitable (“If I can just live long enough to
see my daughter’s wedding, then I’ll die in peace.”).
DEALING WITH DEATH, DYING, GRIEF AND LOSS

19. ■ Stage 4: Depression
When bargaining fails to change the reality of a loss and people must come to terms with dying, a
sudden and enormous sense of loss occurs. They may become very quiet.
■ Stage 5: Acceptance
In the final stage of grief, people who are dying prepare to disengage from the world around them.
When the dying person enters the acceptance stage, it is often the family that is in need of the most help.
Although families may know of an upcoming death, when that time actually comes, their emotions and
reactions may change completely. The process of dying is not pleasant and it may be shocking when death
occurs.

20. ● Some health care professionals are reluctant to discuss about the death,
so they try to maintain an attitude of reassurance “EVERYTHING WILL BE
ALRIGHT’
● ” Regardless of the situation, always provide the best emergency medical
care you can
DEALING WITH DYING PATIENT

21. Few guidelines
● Do not try to hide the body of the deceased patient from the family, even if the body has been badly
mutilated
● Do not use euphemisms for death, such as “expired” or “passed away.”
● Do not hurry to clear away all your resuscitation equipment
● Give the family some time with their loved one, especially when the deceased patient is a child.
● Try to arrange for further emotional support.
● Accept the family’s right to experience a variety of feelings—guilt, shock, denial, or anger.
DEALING WITH GRIEVING PATIENT

22. ● Children up to age 3 years will be aware that something has happened and
people are sad.
● Children age 3 to 6 years of age believe that death is temporary and may
continually ask when the person will return.
● Children age 6 to 9 years may mask their feelings in an effort to not look
babylike. Family members should discuss the normal feelings of grieving
with the child.
DEALING WITH GRIEVING CHILD

23. ● Children age 9 to 12 years may want to
know details surrounding the incident.
● Family members should encourage the
sharing of feelings and memories to
facilitate the grieving process

24. ● STANDRAD PRECAUTIONS
● Includes PPE
-Gloves
-Masks
-Goggles
-Gown
-Shoe cover
● Wash hands
● Clean the ambulance and equipment
● Properly dispose the sharps
PREVENTION OF DISEASE TRANSMISSION

25. THANK YOU