Striking a balance - health experiences of male ambulance personnel with musculoskeletal symptoms : a grounded theory

• Background: Musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) are a dominant cause to long-term sick leave and early retirement. Some occupational groups are more affected than others and ambulance personnel are among them. Despite a vast amount of research, only a small part focuses the experiences of the affected.Objectives: The aim of the study was to explore the experience of illness and wellness in ambulance personnel with musculoskeletal symptoms.Design: An emerging design was used in accordance with Grounded Theory.Participants: Informants in the study were ten men with musculoskeletal symptoms, working as ambulance personnel at an ambulance station located in a mid-sized city in Sweden.Methods: Narrative interviews were performed, parallel to a constant comparative analysis.Results: The study resulted in a model, which describes the experience of illness and wellness as characterised by an effort to strike a balance. Wellness through nurturing appeared parallel to encountering illness as an experience and a threat. Accepting and handling illness was of importance to maintaining wellness, and wellness through nurturing was the motivation for accepting and handling illness.Conclusions: Enhancing the understanding of wellness and illness makes it possible to avoid undermining the meaningfulness that support accepting and handling illness, and by understanding different aspects of illness prevention can become facilitated. This is of importance as other aspects than solely physical have shown to be similarly important in the development of MSD.

Subject headings

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap -- Arbetsmedicin och miljömedicin (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences -- Occupational Health and Environmental Health (hsv//eng)

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap -- Omvårdnad (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences -- Nursing (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Adaptation

Psychological

Adult

Ambulances

Attitude of Health Personnel

Attitude to Health

Burnout

Professional etiology psychology

Emergency Medical Technicians psychology

Humans

Job Satisfaction

Male

Men psychology

Middle Aged

Models Psychological

Musculoskeletal Diseases etiology prevention control psychology

Narration

Nursing Methodology Research

Occupational Diseases etiology prevention control psychology

Questionnaires

Retirement

Self Care methods psychology

Self Concept

Sick Leave

Sick Role

Sweden

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)