How is training hospitals of Qazvin preparedness against disaster in 2015?

Abstract

Introduction: Unexpected disasters such as floods, earthquakes, severe weather changes, bioterrorism, and epidemics around the world are increasing. Iran is a disaster-prone country and one of the most prone to accidents and disasters in the world. Hence, the aim of this study is to assess the disaster preparedness of hospitals in Qazvin. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted on six hospitals of the Velayat, Rajaee, Booali, 22 Bahman, Kosar, and Ghods in Qazvin. The tools used to assess for the hospitals' risk of experiencing a disaster were observation, interviews, and a checklist of hospital disaster risk assessment which is provided by the World Health Organization (WHO), including 5 sections and 145 indices for the safety assessment of hospitals. To determine the general weight, three main parts of the questionnaire, that is, functional safety, nonstructural safety, and structural safety, were given weights of 0.2, 0.3, and 0.5, respectively, according to the original version of the indices. Each index was scored as 0, 1, and 2 based on the low, medium, and high scores. The safety scores were categorized in three groups, that is, low safety (≤34%), medium safety (34%–66%), and high safety (>66%). The data were analyzed by Excel 2007 and spss 17 software. Results: Functional, structural, and nonstructural safety scores were evaluated as 61.58% (average safety), 64.44% (average safety), and 61% (average safety), respectively. General preparedness of the hospitals we studied were 62.34%, an average safety level. Conclusions: Safety was evaluated in all hospitals at an average level. Although the hospitals' situation is not critical, because of the history of disaster in the province, it is very necessary to plan and carry out appropriate measures to improve hospital safety.