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Assessing the Preparedness of Healthcare Facilities for Disasters and Emergencies in Damghan, Iran

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 June 2021

Behrad Pourmohammadi ,
Ahad Heydari ,
Farin Fatemi  and
Ali Modarresi
Behrad Pourmohammadi
Affiliation:
Research Center for Health Sciences and Technologies, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran
Ahad Heydari
Affiliation:
Department of Disaster and Emergency Health, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Farin Fatemi*
Affiliation:
Research Center for Health Sciences and Technologies, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran
Ali Modarresi
Affiliation:
Damghan Health Network, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran
*
Corresponding author: Farin Fatemi Email: f_fatemi@semums.ac.ir.
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Abstract

Objectives:

Iran is exposed to a wide range of natural and man-made hazards. Health-care facilities can play a significant role in providing life-saving measures in the minutes and hours immediately following the impact or exposure. The aim of this study was to determine the preparedness of health-care facilities in disasters and emergencies.

Methods:

This cross-sectional study was conducted in Damghan, Semnan Province, in 2019. The samples consisted of all the 11 health-care facilities located in Damghan County. A developed checklist was used to collect the data, including 272 questions in 4 sections: understanding threatening hazards, functional, structural, and nonstructural vulnerability of health-care facilities. The data were analyzed using SPSS 21.

Results:

The results revealed that the health-care facilities were exposed to 22 different natural and man-made hazards throughout the county. The total level of preparedness of the health-care centers under assessment was 45.8%. The average functional, structural, and nonstructural vulnerability was assessed at 49.3%, 31.6%, and 56.4%, respectively.

Conclusions:

Conducting mitigation measures is necessary for promoting the functional and structural preparedness. Disaster educational programs and exercises are recommended among the health staff in health-care facilities.

Keywords

preparednesshealth-care facilitiesdisasteremergency
Type
Original Research
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 16 , Issue 4 , August 2022 , pp. 1459 - 1465
Copyright
© Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc. 2021

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