Cognitive and social skills supporting decision making and the quality of performance of Emergency medical services crew members

VEGA 2/0070/18

Duration of the project:
2018 - 2021

Principal investigator:
Mgr. Jitka Gurňáková, PhD.

List of scientific co-workers:
Mgr. Martin Sedlár, PhD.
Mgr.Branislav Uhrecký, PhD.
Mgr. Denisa Marcinechová

Most significant results:
The way the EMS crew communicates with the patient fundamentally affects the course and results of the intervention. Effective communication in EMS includes two key aspects - the mutual exchange of important information and the positive relationship that develops between the crew and people at the scene. The indifferent, repulsive to aggressive way of communication of the crew significantly reduces the trust of those affected and in some cases also leads to real mistakes in providing health care. If the crew's behavior is dominated by acceptance, expressions of interest and efforts to help to affected people, their level of stress is reduced, their sense of security is restored, their trust, but also willingness to cooperate or tolerate minor shortcomings, grows. Even interventions where it is not possible to help the patient can be evaluated positively by mourning relatives, as long as they perceive the active effort of the crew to do everything possible to save the patient (Gurňáková, Marcinechová, 2021).
Selected publications:
1. Gurňáková, J., Marcinechová D.,(2021). Význam komunikácie s pacientom a jeho blízkymi v zásahoch záchrannej zdravotnej služby. Bratislava: Ústav experimentálnej psychológie CSPV SAV. ISBN 978-80-89524-65-5, 180 s., (in press)
2. Gurňáková, J., Veselá, K.(2021). Význam netechnických zručností v urgentnej medicíne. In V. Dobiáš a kol. (Eds.). Urgentná medicína: prednemocničná, nemocničná, pre dospelých a deti. (s. 1037-1047). Osveta. ISBN 978-80-8063-499-5
3. Gurňáková, J.(2021a). Základy efektívnej komunikácie s pacientom. In V. Dobiáš a kol. (Eds.). Urgentná medicína: prednemocničná, nemocničná, pre dospelých a deti. (s. 1058- 1070). Osveta, Martin, ISBN 978-80-8063-499-5
4. SEDLÁR, Martin (2020).Cognitive skills of emergency medical services crew members: a literature review. In BMC emergency medicine. vol. 20, no. 1, p. 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12873-020-00330-1