Assessing the effectiveness of an occupational musculoskeletal ınjury prevention program for paramedic students: A quasi-experimental, pretest-posttest study

Background: Paramedics must apply appropriate body mechanics principles when providing emergency care, actively engaging their bodies to prevent physical injuries and protect patients from falls and harm. The aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of a occupational musculoskeletal injury prevention program provided to paramedic students on their level of knowledge regarding body mechanics principles and their performance in patient transport practices. Methods: This semi-experimental study employs a pretest-posttest single-group design. The study population consisted of 60 paramedic program students at a university's health services vocational school during the 2022-2023 academic year's fall semester. Students received theoretical and practical training on body mechanics, following the Body Mechanics Training Guide. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS 24. Results: The mean age of the students was 20.40 +/- 1.65 years, with 58.3 % in their second year, and 76.7 % female. Significant differences were found in Body Mechanics Knowledge Form scores across pre-training, posttraining, and follow-up assessments. A statistically significant improvement was also observed in Observational Checklist scores, with 95.0 % of students failing the pre-test but all succeeding in the post-training assessment. Conclusion: This study concluded that the occupational injury prevention training program improved the knowledge levels and performance in patient transport practices of paramedic students.