The association of workload during healthcare service disruption with the mental health of prehospital emergency medical service providers in Korea.

Objective: In 2024, a large-scale healthcare service disruption occurred in Korea due to ongoing conflict between the government and medical professionals over the proposed expansion of medical school admissions. This study examined how workload burdens experienced by prehospital emergency medical service (EMS) providers during the disruption affected their mental health. Methods: We analyzed associations between workload factors, including delayed return to base, urgent administrative tasks, and missed meals, and mental-health outcomes, including depressive symptoms, burnout, and sleep problems, in a sample of 851 prehospital EMS providers. Results: The results show that EMS providers who experienced delayed return to base were more likely to report depressive symptoms (OR = 2.22, 95 % CI: 1.52, 3.23), those involved in urgent administrative tasks reported higher levels of burnout (OR = 1.83, 95 % CI: 1.28, 2.61), and those who frequently missed meals were more likely to experience sleep problems (OR = 1.89, 95 % CI: 1.33, 2.67). Conclusions: These findings imply that different types of workload burdens during healthcare service disruptions are significantly associated with mental health outcomes among prehospital EMS providers, highlighting the need for institutional strategies to protect their psychological well-being during similar crisis situations.