• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.71-78
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• 2014

Complex ethical issues of Emergency Medical Techinician (EMT) out-of hospital emergency medical scene and the ER (Emergency Room) behaviors were studied. The survey was conducted by 500 EMT group members working in the field of ambulance work and general hospital and it was about their work ethics, discussions and solutions about the transferred patients, and ethics regarding Do Not Attempt Resuscitate (DNAR). The survey includes work ethics, awareness about the target job, a discussion on the transfer of patients, measures, and deathbed. Discussions about the patient's condition and diagnosis results were majorly absent during patient transportation at the emergency care scene. More than 90% of emergency care transfer were inappropriate. Sometimes, EMT working in the field facing morally unethical problems beyond their responsibility. When EMT, who can not make death diagnosis, received deathbed related DNAR issues, they gone through severe ethical conflicts. The institutional support and therapy for EMT was weak. In Korea, especially in the accident site, ethical issues education is more needed than DNAR prevalence of education and guidance. If ethics training and guidance are given to EMT, a lot of moral errors in the field can be resolved.