Editorial

ABSTRACT

In our first article, entitled “Mental health patterns during COVID-19 in emergency medical services (EMS)”, Silvia Monteiro Fonseca et al. have explored the patterns of EMS personnel’s mental health regarding their levels of anxiety, depression and stress during COVID-19 pandemic. The study recommendations from this research include, but are not limited to, ensuring a more equitable distribution of protective equipment to paramedics across unevenly funded services and recognizing paramedics face unique and additional stressors in public health emergencies. The study used validated instruments such as the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL) instrument, the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), the PSS and the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) checklist on a sample of UK police officers. In a fascinating paper, John Hylander et al. explore the collaborative challenge of emergency response to major incidents in road tunnels for the emergency services, emergency dispatch centers and local authorities next.