Abstract # 3129 Stress management and immune-physiological changes in emergency teams during rescue operations

Background Emergency medical teams experience stress not only from traumatic events, but also from many small stressors during their everyday work. Despite the high stress level, paramedics seem to ignore or even negate the stress. As this can be detrimental and lead to stress-related diseases, the aim of this study is to empirically investigate the divergence between physiological and psychological stress responses of paramedics compared to healthy controls. Methods Participants were 19 paramedics and 17 age- and sex-matched white-collar workers as controls. We assessed psychological stress parameters with self-report questionnaires. Cortisol levels were measured as cortisol awakening response (CAR) using saliva samples and the quantification of immune parameters was performed in blood. Results Absolute leucocyte count did not differ significantly between paramedics and control. However, the CAR was higher in paramedics compared to controls. Despite the higher CAR, the answers in the questionnaires regarding chronic stress, burnout, satisfaction about life and health did not differ between paramedics and controls. Conclusions Paramedics have higher cortisol values compared to controls, thus suggesting higher stress. As expected, we did not find a difference between paramedics and controls in the subjective reports, supporting the assumption that paramedics negate their daily stress, probably due to high identification with their job. Our findings underline the importance to develop stress-management interventions for paramedics including a sensitization of paramedics for their stress reactions.