Aim: The purpose of this study was to provide an overview of the evolution of emergency medical services (EMS) in Saudi Arabia to describe its history, organisational service providers, governance, EMS statistics and the educational development of the field with the disparity of educational approaches. Background: The EMS is an important part of the healthcare system as it is often the first point of contact for medical emergencies. The EMS in Saudi Arabia has seen a number of positive changes over the past decade, some of which include the development of several university and college programs dedicated to teaching EMS, the evaluation of the profession from a post-employment first aid model into a pre-employment bachelor's degree model, the generous governmental scholarship grants overseas and the official accreditation of EMS as a profession. It has been approximately nine years since the first EMS bachelor's degree programs were developed in Saudi Arabia, some of which were directly adopted from universities in developed countries such as Australia. Despite these positive changes, the current EMS system in Saudi is faced with many challenges, both organisational and educational, including the lack of research, community involvement, the educational status of practitioners and the inconsistencies of statistics relating to response time and rate of transfer. This paper describes the history of EMS in Saudi Arabia with a specific focus on identifying the disparity in the educational outcomes and approaches adopted by colleges and universities in the Kingdom. Methods: The data utilised for the research of the EMS profession in Saudi Arabia were obtained from the literature using search tools such as MEDLINE, Google Scholar, Saudi health journals, Saudi university websites, government reports and statistics. Conclusion: The EMS profession in Saudi Arabia has advanced greatly in the past 12 years. Yet there is still scope for considerable improvement, especially with regards to developing empirically identified core competencies for EMS bachelor's degree graduates. There is also the need for providing more outreach to the public to improve awareness of current services and available training, building more collaboration between the industry employers and academic institutions and investing further in EMS research through the development of Saudi-based postgraduate master's and PhD EMS degrees. This paper is the first to provide an overview of the EMS service in Saudi Arabia, for institutions and researchers to gain a better understanding of the history and current standing of the service from an educational and operational perspective.

Introduction: Internationally, emergency medical services (EMS) are an essential access point to the healthcare system. Building an understanding of the professional, educational and demographic profiles of an EMS workforce is important. The aim of this study is to statistically test the professional profiles of EMS providers against the Saudi ParamEdic Competency Scale (SPECS) model factors. Methods: Healthcare providers working for the Saudi Red Crescent Authority (SRCA) were surveyed using a cross-sectional study design with purposive sampling technique. The independent variables were tested against the five SPECS model factors of ‘Professionalism’, ‘Preparedness’, ‘Communication’, ‘Clinical’ and ‘Personal’. Results: Of the 1260 surveys distributed, 909 surveys were returned (72.14% response rate). A total of 927 EMS healthcare professionals contributed to the study of whom 866 (93.4%) were male and 61 (6.6%) female. Of the participants, 552 (59.5%) were aged 29–39 years and 508 (54.8%) had 5–9 years’ experience. Conclusion: This is the first national study to explore and contextualise the diverse professional stakeholders in Saudi EMS. The study was able to employ the professional profiles of the participants in understanding the different perceptions of the SPECS model. We recommend that future research address the specific differences identified in the demographic, professional and educational aspects of this study.

In this study, we investigated the motivations of paramedic staff serving in rural and remote communities, given the consistent shortage of healthcare workers in these areas. Using a modified Global Motivation Scale (GMS) questionnaire, we surveyed 450 paramedics in Saudi Arabia, analyzing data from 379 respondents (response rate: 84.2%) with SPSS 29. Chi-square tests explored demographic links to motivation, and ANOVA compared mean scores across groups (p < 0.05). The results showed a moderate overall motivation (M = 3.37, SD = 0.82), with high intrinsic motivation (M = 3.67, SD = 0.96) and relatively high extrinsic motivation, notably in integration (M = 3.48) and identification (M = 3.41). Age and gender significantly influenced motivation (p < 0.05), with individuals aged 24–30 years exhibiting markedly lower motivation. ANOVA confirmed the age, gender, marital status (unmarried), and EMS experience (5–10 years) as significant factors, while the education, job title, and employment site had no significant impact. Scheffe’s post hoc test revealed age-related differences and emphasized the importance of EMS experience. This study suggests that both intrinsic factors and external pressures contribute to the lower motivation in adults in their mid-twenties in rural areas. Experience, particularly in EMS, significantly impacts motivation levels. We recommend tailored interventions that focus on intrinsic motivation and address external pressures to improve retention and care quality.

Introduction: Internationally, the development of emergency medical services (EMS) educational standards from a post-employment to pre-employment model has gained considerable momentum. In Saudi Arabia specifically, the evolution to university-based EMS degrees has proceeded swiftly. However, the fast pace of development has contributed to considerable disparities in educational approaches between university programs. Therefore, the development of an empirically-based core competency framework is of considerable importance. The aim of this paper is to utilise confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) through structural equation modelling to confirm the theoretically developed Saudi ParamEdic Competency Scale (SPECS) model. Methods: A national cross-sectional study design with purposive sampling technique was utilised with Saudi Red Crescent Authority healthcare providers. The SPECS instrument included 41 core competency items measured on a self-reported Likert scale. The maximum likelihood method was used with all the one factor congeneric and complete CFA models. Results: In total, 477 EMS healthcare professionals contributed to the study: 444 (93.1%) men and 33 (6.9%) women. Of the participants, 282 (59.1%) were 29–39 years of age and 264 (55.3%) had 5 to 9 years’ experience. A CFA of the SPECS model confirmed five congeneric factors within the adequate fit measurement indices: professionalism, preparedness, communication, clinical, and personal. There was one higher order factor titled ‘paramedic competency’. Conclusion: The CFA results support the SPECS as a reliable, valid, unidimensional and psychometrically sound model for operationalisation into Saudi university curricula. The confirmed model is made up of 27 items with five factors and an overarching latent higher order construct. The SPECS model represents an empirically developed blueprint for adoption into Saudi Arabian university programs.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is an application of digital technology with considerable potential to improve quality, safety, and access; however, research on the future of AI in the health-care system and specifically emergency medical services (EMS) remains limited. The aim of this research is to anticipate the possible effects of using this technology on EMS. A Delphi panel was recruited based on proven international expertise in EMS to contribute to an iterative consensus-based Delphi study design. Data collection was initiated in September 2024 and ended in March 2025. The 3-round study involved 27 expert participants and a 3-member steering group and was concluded at round 3, with 7 items not reaching consensus. The final result included 81 items with expert consensus divided into 6 EMS domains, namely communication, clinical, education, management, operations, and ethics. The forecasted items, although with a limited number of experts, provide an insightful model for an in-depth understanding of the future of AI in EMS and other health care, educational, and associated industries.