Educational Aspects Affecting Paramedic Preparedness and Sustainability of Crisis Management: Insights from V4 Countries and the Role of Innovative Technologies.

Recent major disasters, including the COVID-19 pandemic and floods in Europe, highlight the unpredictability of crises and the necessity for systemic preparedness at all levels of crisis management, including pre-hospital emergency medical services. Paramedics observed, under these challenging conditions (but not exclusively during them), cases of insufficient knowledge and skills in providing pre-hospital medical care, which lead to inadequate or prolonged decision making in delivering assistance. For this reason, the authors aimed to determine the extent to which such situations occur and to examine their causes, focusing on potential gaps and shortcomings in the education of paramedics. This study examines the impact of educational systems on the professional preparedness of paramedics in V4 European countries (the Slovak Republic, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland) during pre-hospital care through a questionnaire survey. A survey involving over 1600 respondents revealed significant disparities in perceived knowledge and skill gaps, with Poland demonstrating the highest deficiencies (78%) and the Slovak Republic the lowest (57%). Key factors influencing these gaps included the frequency of external educational and training activities, years of experience, and expertise in managing critical conditions. The findings underscore the importance of innovative technologies, such as simulations and virtual reality, in enhancing paramedic training, along with integrating digital solutions across all phases of disaster management. Recommendations focus on strengthening system resilience, fostering interdisciplinary approaches, and improving system sustainability and adaptability. By using the results obtained and leveraging technological advances, the study aims to contribute to more effective crisis preparedness, population protection, and sustainable development goals (SDGs), namely (3, 4, 9, and 11), especially in the field of crisis management. This reinforces the broader role of SDGs in building more robust, future-ready disaster management frameworks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]