The effect of education and implementation of "National Hospital Disaster Preparedness Plan" on an Iranian hospital preparedness: An interventional study

Audit of the functional preparedness of the selected military hospital in response to incidents and disasters: participatory action research

Introduction

Since hospitals play an important role in dealing with disaster victims, this study was conducted to audit the functional preparedness of the selected military hospital in response to incidents and disasters.

Materials and methods

This applied action research was conducted in all wards of a military hospital from September 2020 to September 2021. The functional preparedness of the hospital was assessed using a functional preparedness checklist containing 17 domains and the weaknesses of the hospital were identified. Then, during the hospital audit cycle, a plan was developed to improve work processes and the functional preparedness of different wards of the hospital in response to incidents and disasters using the FOCUS-PDCA model. The functional preparedness of the hospital was compared before and after the intervention and analyzed using SPSS22.

Results

The relative mean score of hospital preparedness in response to disasters was 508 out of 900 (56.44%) before the intervention, which was moderate. The relative mean score of the hospital preparedness in response to disasters was 561 (63.63%) after the intervention, which was good. The highest preparedness was related to risk assessment (85%) and the lowest preparedness was related to victims’ dead bodies (44%).

Conclusion

Considering the effect of action research on improving the hospital’s functional preparedness in response to disasters, other healthcare facilities are encouraged to incorporate auditing into their work plans.

Psychological distress Management in Iranian emergency prehospital providers: A Qualitative study

INTRODUCTION

Emergency prehospital providers (EPHP) who are constantly providing medical care in threatening conditions are more at risk of displaying psychological distress presentations in disaster situations. Problem-solving strategies are essential for effective and efficient management of event position. Therefore, the present study aimed to explore psychological distress promotion in Iranian EPHP.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A qualitative content analysis study was conducted based on 24 semi-structured interviews. A purposeful sampling method was applied until reaching data saturation. Interviews were transcribed verbatim, and then, data condensing, labeling, coding, and defining categories were performed by the qualitative content analysis recommended by the Landman and Graneheim approach.

RESULTS

Based on the experience of study participants, two main themes with six categories developed. The main themes included emotion-based management and problem-based management when confronting with incidence scene.

CONCLUSION

The main problems of EPHP in confronting with incidence and disasters scenes are psychological distress which some rescuers have emotional reactions while some others who are more resilience and experience manage this problem in the form of problem-based approach. It is recommended these practical strategies to be taught to less experienced rescuers for avoiding emotional-based reactions and better management of disaster scene.

Risk analysis and safety assessment of hospitals against disasters: A systematic review

Both natural and man-made disasters are increasing in occurrence at the world. Hospitals and health-care centers are very complex and have a high potential for vulnerability depending on external and internal factors. Unfortunately, past experiences show that health-care centers and the health system are vulnerable to disasters. Therefore, risk analysis and safety assessment studies of hospitals and other health-care centers are absolutely necessary. This systematic review study was conducted on the basis of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. English language international databases (Pub Med, Scopus, Embase, Web of Science, and Google Scholar) were searched through January 1, 2000 up to June 20, 2019. The quality of the studies was assessed using the International Narrative Systematic Assessment tool. From 3630 titles identified in this search, 24 studies were selected. The important findings of this study were grouped into five main categories: risk analysis method, type of disaster, hospital safety methods, hospital components and key outcomes of risk analysis, and hospital safety assessments. The nature of disasters is a threat to the lives and property of the people, and therefore hospitals must be available at the incidents and disasters and they must be able to respond to the needs of the disaster-affected community. The probability of an incident and its consequences can never be reduced to zero; because the severity of many natural and even man-made disasters is unpredictable and the probability of their occurrence is different; however, it is possible to identify weaknesses and strengths through risk analysis studies as well as hospital safety assessments and implement retrofitting programs based on the type of risks and safety status and reduce the level of risk to an acceptable level.

Evaluating the disaster preparedness of emergency medical service agencies in the world: A systematic literature review protocol

INTRODUCTION

Disasters occur almost everywhere in the world, and preparation is essential. Preparedness is an effective approach for disaster management, and it is crucial for the health systems, especially the Emergency Medical Service (EMS) agencies. This systematic review will be conducted to assess the preparedness levels of EMS agencies in the world for the response to disasters and explore the key dimensions and strategies to enhance it.

METHODOLOGY

This systematic literature review will be conducted to search comprehensively the articles published between 2000 and 2019 to explore the disaster preparedness of EMS Agencies. To this end, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar will be thoroughly assessed. The following terms and expression will be used for searching the databases: "EMS" and other keywords "Disaster Preparedness," "Mass Casualty Incident," "Mass Gathering," "Terrorist incident," "Weapons of Mass Destruction," and CBRNE, Disaster, included: 'Emergency Preparedness, Preparedness, Readiness.

DISCUSSION

To the best of our knowledge, no systematic review study has been conducted on disaster preparedness of EMS agencies in the world. This is the first study to address this gape. It will also explore the key dimensions of disaster preparedness in EMS services and the strategies to enhance their preparedness.

CONCLUSION

Identifying the key dimensions of disaster preparedness is the first step in designing valid assessment tools to evaluate disaster preparedness of EMS service. This study will provide valuable guides for EMS administrators and researchers in an attempt to enhance of preparedness of EMS systems in disasters.