Ethical Dilemmas Encountered by Pre-Hospital Emergency Medical Service Personnel During Disaster Triage: A Case Study of the Kahramanmaraş Earthquakes

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to elucidate the ethical dilemmas faced by pre-hospital emergency medical service personnel during disaster triage, with a specific focus on the Kahramanmaraş Earthquakes, and to document their experiences. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This phenomenological study employed semi-structured interviews with 29 pre-hospital emergency medical service workers who served during the first 72 hours of the Kahramanmaraş Earthquakes to gather qualitative data. Purposeful sampling was used for face-to-face interviews, and MAXQDA20 was utilized for content analysis. RESULTS: The main themes encompassed problems related to disaster management organization, environmental factors, and individual factors. Environmental factors, such as coordination deficiencies at the scene, jurisdictional confusion, security concerns, and seasonal conditions, as well as personal factors including education and experience, were pivotal in the occurrence of ethical dilemmas in disaster triage. CONCLUSION: Pre-hospital emergency medical services personnel affected by the disaster faced more ethical dilemmas. The presence of many affected children had a profound emotional impact on participants, leading to more frequent ethical dilemmas, particularly in the application of black code protocols.