Table 2.
Workplace environment (n = 7845).
| Characteristic | Paramedics (n = 95) | All Other Professions (n = 7750) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frequency (n) | % | Frequency (n) | % | p | |
| Location of practice | <0.001 | ||||
| Metropolitan | 47 | 49.5 | 6325 | 81.6 | |
| Regional/remote | 48 | 50.5 | 1425 | 18.4 | |
| Current employment status | <0.001 | ||||
| Full time | 81 | 85.3 | 3736 | 48.2 | |
| Part time | 9 | 9.5 | 3633 | 46.9 | |
| Casual/other | 5 | 5.3 | 381 | 4.9 | |
| Any change in working hours since the pandemic commenced ** | |||||
| Increased paid hours | 31 | 32.6 | 1603 | 20.7 | 0.004 |
| Increased unpaid hours | 16 | 16.8 | 1670 | 21.5 | 0.27 |
| Decreased paid or unpaid hours | 4 | 4.2 | 862 | 11.4 | 0.03 |
| No change | 52 | 54.7 | 3986 | 51.4 | 0.52 |
| Currently working with people infected with COVID-19 | 77 | 81.1 | 2986 | 38.5 | <0.001 |
| Received training on PPE during the pandemic | 88 | 92.6 | 5049 | 65.1 | <0.001 |
| Confidence in using PPE (mean score) * |
5.30 (n = 93) | SD = 1.79 | 5.38 (n = 5860) | SD =1.60 | 0.65 |
| Received training to care for patients with COVID-19 | 48 | 50.5 | 2744 | 35.4 | <0.01 |
| Confidence in caring for people with COVID-19 (mean score) * |
5.12 (n = 91) | SD = 1.63 | 4.89 (n = 5786) | SD = 1.58 | 0.16 |
| Desires more training regarding PPE or managing people with COVID-19 | 43 | 45.3 | 2957 | 50.5 | 0.42 |
| Worried their role will lead to them transmitting COVID-19 to family | 0.18 | ||||
| Not worried | 11 | 11.8 | 718 | 12.3 | |
| Neutral | 5 | 5.4 | 669 | 11.4 | |
| Worried or very worried | 77 | 82.8 | 4473 | 76.3 | |
| Worried about being blamed by colleagues if they contract COVID-19 | 0.28 | ||||
| Strongly or somewhat agree | 62 | 65.3 | 4886 | 63.0 | |
| Neither agree/disagree | 19 | 20.0 | 1256 | 16.2 | |
| Strongly or somewhat disagree | 14 | 14.7 | 1608 | 20.7 | |
| Communication received from the workplace during the pandemic has been useful and timely | 0.79 | ||||
| Strongly or somewhat agree | 69 | 72.6 | 5763 | 74.4 | |
| Neither agree/disagree | 9 | 9.5 | 792 | 10.2 | |
| Strongly or somewhat disagree | 17 | 17.9 | 1195 | 15.4 | |
| Believed their workplace actively supported their wellbeing and mental health during the pandemic | 0.77 | ||||
| Strongly or somewhat agree | 63 | 66.3 | 5288 | 68.2 | |
| Neither agree/disagree | 14 | 14.7 | 1205 | 15.5 | |
| Strongly or somewhat disagree | 18 | 18.9 | 1257 | 16.2 | |
* Confidence was scored on a 7-point Likert scale: 1 = very unconfident, 7 = very confident. ** Multiple responses could be selected.