Preparedness of Hospitals in North of Iran to Deal With Disasters

Abstract

IntroductionPreparedness of hospital has a major impact on their optimal and satisfactory performance. This study aimed to investigate the preparedness of the hospitals to deal with disasters.Case PresentationThis cross-sectional study was carried in 2011 and all of the hospitals which were located in the northern areas of Iran were investigated through the census method. The data collection instruments were self-administered Managers’ Awareness Questionnaire (40 items) and a 141-item checklist. The mean percentage score of hospitals in management of the unanticipated disasters program in the hospital was good. The mean score of managers’ awareness of the hospital status was moderate. With the increase in managers’ awareness, the preparedness of the hospitals significantly increased (r = 0.73, P < 0.001).ConclusionsThe findings showed the moderate preparedness of the hospitals in the Northern provinces to deal with disasters.

The Effect of Teaching Principles of Hospital Preparedness According to the National Program on Preparedness of Shahid Motahari Burns Hospital of Tehran in Response to Disasters

“…those that should be at disposal at any time and any condition) and failure to investigate possible impacts of accidents on hospital equipment such as water and food are among the weaknesses of the hospital in this area which was inconsistent with the study by Hosseini Shokooh [17] which evaluated the preparedness of the hospitals high in this area. But, it was consistent with Amiri et al study results [6].…”

“…However, lack of a reliable method to identify staff and patients, not allocating a location for the sterilization of radioactive and chemical materials, reduced hospital preparedness score in this aspect. Also, little were conducted on cases such as determining areas with high vulnerability and defining the rules for attending at hospitals at the time of accidents and disasters and this was consistent with the results by Daneshmandi et al [12] and Amiri et al [6]. However, it was inconsistent with the results of Hojjat et al study [13] in which they assessed security component of 13 hospitals affiliated to Medical Sciences University as good and this could be the result of taking measures, including holding training classes in these hospitals.…”

“…The majority of these deaths were due to the earthquakes and floods. At the time of disaster, hospitals are the main units of health care providers which their timely preparation and delivery of health care services have a crucial role in reducing injuries and deaths [6].…”

The Effects of Implementing and Activating the Early Warning System on the Preparedness of Sari Imam Khomeini Hospital (RH) in Disasters and Incidents

“…There were no significant differences in two components of continuity of the essential services and post-disaster recovery before and after implementation of early warning system. With regard to the component of command and control, the increase was significant, which was consistent with Amiri et al study who evaluated good the hospital preparedness level in the area of unexpected situation management program [11]. This result was also in line with Delshad study who assessed the preparedness of Motahari Hospital as high [10].…”

“…Khankeh et al (2006) showed the unpreparedness of hospitals and healthcare centers all around the country and insistsed on better attention to the problem [10]. Amiri et al (2011) study indicates the average level of preparedness in all studied hospitals [11]. The research done by Heydari et al (2010) evaluated the preparedness of the hospitals as 62.3% (average level) [12].…”