Rapid Assessment of COVID-19 Screening Program for Travelers in Iran: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Objective: COVID-19 screening stations set up by Iranian Red Crescent Society have been available for seventeen days with the aim of identifying and treating people with coronavirus, reducing road trips, and sensitizing people to the problem. This study aims to investigate the challenges of the procedure. Methods: A qualitative study was used to find the challenges of the COVID-19 screening centers. Volunteers, branch managers, and headquarter managers of the Iranian Red Crescent Society participated in this study applying snowball sampling. Data were collected via in-depth semi-structured telephone interviews in April 2020 after completion of the fever screening plan. All interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim, always with prior permission of interviewees. Results: The interviews with 20 participants in the plan indicated six relevant challenges including logistics, lack of planning, lack of coordination, legal challenges, mental health, and ethical challenges. Conclusions: The results indicated that although establishing fever detection centers in Iran was a rapid response to COVID-19, it had significant flaws in the structure and adversely affected volunteers and staffs’ health and financial resources. Therefore, well-structured protocols are required for similar responses in the future.