# Survey: Online communities as a tool in coping with stress management



## smm24 (Jul 3, 2013)

Hello! We are students in the School of Interactive Arts & Technology at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, Canada. This is an opportunity for you to contribute to a short study: we invite EMTLife.com members to take part in a study examining how participating in an online community may affect your daily life in relation to stresses caused by your occupation. 

We hope your contributions will assist us in creating a design curriculum to help other groups of people use online communities as a supplementary tool in coping with stress management. 

This study involves you answering an online questionnaire about your demographics, preferences, and personal experience. This will take you approximately 15 - 20 min. to complete.  At no time will your personal identity be revealed or shared; EMTLife.com’s initial security and confidentiality policies apply. 

Please go to the following - http://clab.iat.sfu.ca/emt/ to be directed to the consent form and following questionnaire if you would like to participate.


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## Chimpie (Jul 3, 2013)

Hey EMTLifers!

This thread has been approved by the leadership team.  

Back in March we received a request from this group to post a survey.  Since then we have taken the time to learn more about them, the survey and why they have chosen our community to participate in it.

Some miscellanious points:

Participation in the survey is completely optional
At no time will your identity be shared us
We will not know who has taken it and who hasn't

I, personally, have taken the survey.  It does take about 20 minutes or so to complete.

If you have any questions about the survey or have any problems taking it, please post in this thread.  The group will be monitoring it.

If any other groups would like to reach out to us about doing something similar, please feel free to Contact Us.

Finally, I want to thank the Simon Fraser University for asking us to participate.  It truly is an honor.


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## firetender (Jul 3, 2013)

I for one will be very interested in the results!


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## smm24 (Jul 3, 2013)

Firetender - we're glad you're enthusiastic! The survey will be open for about 2 weeks, after which will be synthesized into a findings report & curriculum. This report will then be sent to the moderators. Because the survey is personal in nature, the results themselves will not be shared. However we do anticipate the report will be a good read


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## Chimpie (Jul 3, 2013)

smm24 said:


> Firetender - we're glad you're enthusiastic! The survey will be open for about 2 weeks, after which will be synthesized into a findings report & curriculum. This report will then be sent to the moderators. Because the survey is personal in nature, the results themselves will not be shared. However we do anticipate the report will be a good read



Just to add on to this... While I'm sure it will be a good read, we are not solely interested in the answers to the questions.  The reason we will be receiving a report is to learn if partnerships like this are worthwhile.  For years we have always turn down requests from individuals and groups to 'poll' our membership.  This is the first time we felt comfortable letting someone outside our community conduct a survey like this.


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## Chimpie (Jul 14, 2013)

I just wanted to let everyone know that the study is still ongoing and if you wish to participate you may do so by clicking this link:  http://clab.iat.sfu.ca/emt/


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## medicdan (Jul 14, 2013)

Chimpie said:


> Just to add on to this... While I'm sure it will be a good read, we are not solely interested in the answers to the questions.  The reason we will be receiving a report is to learn if partnerships like this are worthwhile.  For years we have always turn down requests from individuals and groups to 'poll' our membership.  This is the first time we felt comfortable letting someone outside our community conduct a survey like this.



Will you or the study sponsors be willing to share the report, publicly, when completed?


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## mycrofft (Jul 15, 2013)

*Just my opinion*

Although the questions were thorough and cogent, I felt they did not support research into the subject  claimed and bailed out at about question 8 or so. Sorry, but when spider sense says it's wasting my time or just fishing I quit.


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## smm24 (Jul 15, 2013)

emt.dan said:


> Will you or the study sponsors be willing to share the report, publicly, when completed?



Yes. Once the report is written we will post it as a reply to this thread.


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## smm24 (Jul 15, 2013)

mycrofft said:


> Although the questions were thorough and cogent, I felt they did not support research into the subject  claimed and bailed out at about question 8 or so. Sorry, but when spider sense says it's wasting my time or just fishing I quit.



hmmm... interesting. That could be because the first set of questions are to give us an understanding of each individuals background with technology & the industry (to give us a broader sense of how tech savvy / tech literate that individual is and how long they've been in the industry - which could have implications towards the responses for the questions afterwords). 

This is good feedback though. We could potentially swap the questions around - so that the participants get to the 'real meat' of the survey first. By no means do we want to encourage anyone's 'spider sense.'


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## CodeBru1984 (Jul 16, 2013)

mycrofft said:


> Although the questions were thorough and cogent, I felt they did not support research into the subject  claimed and bailed out at about question 8 or so. Sorry, but when spider sense says it's wasting my time or just fishing I quit.



I felt the same way as MyCroft did, and also bailed on the survey.


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## mycrofft (Jul 16, 2013)

Ill give it another try then. Thanks.
ANd don't discount "spider sense".


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## smm24 (Jul 16, 2013)

CodeBru1984 said:


> I felt the same way as MyCroft did, and also bailed on the survey.



Thank you for providing feedback. The survey format has been changed to present all questions on one page (in lieu of one question at a time). Please keep in mind your submission is optional and that should you feel uncomfortable at any time, you are able to stop and exit the questionnaire. All submissions are greatly appreciated, thank you everyone for your time thus far.


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## mycrofft (Jul 16, 2013)

There I did it. Not well suited for retired EMS.


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## chaz90 (Jul 17, 2013)

Whew. Made it through. Best of luck guys!


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## CodeBru1984 (Jul 17, 2013)

smm24 said:


> Thank you for providing feedback. The survey format has been changed to present all questions on one page (in lieu of one question at a time). Please keep in mind your submission is optional and that should you feel uncomfortable at any time, you are able to stop and exit the questionnaire. All submissions are greatly appreciated, thank you everyone for your time thus far.



I'll look at it again and then provide follow up feedback.


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## socalmedic (Jul 17, 2013)

I took it, but as stated before it seamed like marketing research. I don't see how those question will help anyone manage stress. I feel that if your intention was using online communities as a tool in coping with stress you have asked the wrong questions. I don't remember if any of the questions even asked about stress directly, or how we manage in! then again EMS is not the best group of people to ask about stress management. :rofl:


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## firetender (Jul 17, 2013)

*I took it, too!*

...and what I have to say is it can serve as a good check-in for yourselves to see if you even look at some of the more personally challenging aspects of doing the work.

My position has and continues to be that there's an unspoken "Code of Silence" in medicine as a whole when it comes to facing and sharing some of the more personal challenges in the work.

As a result, far too many of us suffer alone, and that, my dears, is a major contributor to burnout and provides a very good reason why EMS still struggles to find its place as a real profession; too many medics burn out before they make an impact on the future of the profession..

I have always seen EMTlife as a grand OPPORTUNITY to utilize the experience of others for support when it comes to dealing with some of these challenges. I have seen this working here, but it takes a bit of conscious awareness and effort (AND patience and sensitivity!) on all of our parts to make this a safe haven for EMS personnel.

So -- my suggestion -- really take some time to think about these questions to help you build a personal vision of how you could utilize this Forum as a resource to support each other in the very demanding work you do.


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## mycrofft (Jul 18, 2013)

Did I pass?


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## firetender (Sep 22, 2013)

Anything ever happen with this?


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## Chimpie (Sep 22, 2013)

I have not heard back from them in a while.


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