Determining Functional Preparedness of Selected Military Hospitals in Response to Disasters

Abstract

Background: Iran is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world. Hospital readiness is important for providing services to patients in times of crisis and can be considered an important indicator in crisis management. Objectives: The present study was conducted to determine the functional preparedness of selected military hospitals in response to tragedy and disasters. Methods: This cross-sectional-analytical study was conducted in two AJA-military hospitals in Tehran in 2020. A random sampling method was used to select hospitals. A checklist of functional preparedness of hospitals in response to disasters was used to collect data. Data were analyzed and coded with SPSS software. Results: According to the results, the mean and standard deviation of the functional preparedness score for hospitals A and B were 86.17±4.24 and 81.76±10.52, respectively, and the total average score was 83.97±8.21, which indicated good conditions. The results of the independent t-test showed that there was no significant difference in the preparedness between the two studied hospitals (p=0.124). In hospital A, Recovery after Disaster, Increase capacity and Continuation of vital services and in hospital B, Support and Procurement Management, Continuation of vital services and Human resources areas had the lowest level of readiness. Conclusion: According to the results, the studied hospitals were weak in functional preparedness, and hence should be repaired and improved in this field.