Farahmandnia Hojjat, Abdollahyar Asma, Aminafshar Asiye, Doustmohammadi Mohammadmahdi, Salahi Sahar
Health in Disasters and Emergencies Research Center, Institute for Futures Studies in Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
Department of Nursing, Zarand Branch, Kerman Islamic Azad University, Kerman, Iran.
Ethiop J Health Sci. 2024 Nov;34(6):449-458. doi: 10.4314/ejhs.v34i6.4.
Hospitals play a crucial role in local and national responses to various emergencies and disasters, including outbreaks of communicable diseases. This study aimed to investigate the disaster response capabilities of hospitals and to explore solutions for improving their response processes to infectious disease pandemics (IDPs) in Iran.
This study employed an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design (quantitative and qualitative). In the quantitative phase, we assessed the response levels of reference hospitals (government, military, and private) in Kerman City, Iran, in 2023. This assessment utilized a researcher-designed questionnaire to evaluate the hospitals' capacity to admit pandemic patients. In the qualitative phase, we explored solutions to enhance the response processes of hospitals to IDPs through semi-structured interviews and a conventional qualitative content analysis approach.
The quantitative results indicated that the overall response level of hospitals to IDPs, with a mean score of 152.88±18.28, was moderate. The qualitative findings identified four main categories and nine subcategories of solutions to improve hospitals± response processes to IDPs.
Hospitals are vital in providing quality healthcare during emergencies. Lessons learned from our institution's response to the COVID-19 pandemic will guide more efficient services and preparedness for future emergencies. Given the novel nature of the COVID-19 virus and the potential for similar pandemics in the future, a structured framework is needed to manage epidemic disasters effectively.
医院在地方和国家应对各种紧急情况和灾害（包括传染病爆发）中发挥着关键作用。本研究旨在调查医院的灾害应对能力，并探索改进伊朗医院对传染病大流行（IDP）应对流程的解决方案。
本研究采用解释性序列混合方法设计（定量和定性）。在定量阶段，我们评估了2023年伊朗克尔曼市参考医院（政府、军事和私立）的应对水平。该评估使用了研究人员设计的问卷来评估医院收治大流行患者的能力。在定性阶段，我们通过半结构化访谈和传统的定性内容分析方法，探索了增强医院对IDP应对流程的解决方案。
定量结果表明，医院对IDP的总体应对水平中等，平均得分为152.88±18.28。定性研究结果确定了改进医院对IDP应对流程的四个主要类别和九个子类别解决方案。
医院在紧急情况下提供高质量医疗保健方面至关重要。我们机构应对新冠疫情的经验教训将指导未来更高效的服务和应急准备。鉴于新冠病毒的新颖性以及未来类似大流行的可能性，需要一个结构化框架来有效管理疫情灾害。
