Assessment of safety status and functional, structural and non-structural preparedness of health centers in Hamadan against disasters

Abstract

Background: The most important demand of people in disasters is health and the provision of coordinated, integrated, continuous, and accessible health services. Effective disaster management depends on anticipating and identifying disaster problems and considering the necessary facilities. The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety status and functional, structural, and non-structural preparedness of health centers in disasters. Materials and Method: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in 49 health centers of Hamadan in 2021. To collect data, standard interviews, observation, and checklist methods were used based on disaster risk assessment guidelines in the health care network system. These checklists examine the safety status of health centers in three areas of functional preparedness, structural safety, and non-structural safety. The average functional preparedness, structural and non-structural, is considered a safety score, and health centers are in one of the levels of "low" safety (0-50), "moderate" safety (50-70), and "optimal" safety (70-100). Results: According to the results in the health centers of Hamadan city, the level of functional preparedness is 56.23%, the level of non-structural safety, structural safety, and total safety are 63.96, 89.39, and 75.13%, respectively. Conclusion: According to the findings of this study, the level of non-structural and structural safety of health centers in Hamadan was at an acceptable level that can be improved, however, the level of functional preparedness was assessed at a moderate level. This could be due to a lack of coherent organization, disaster risk management, adequate budget, and knowledge.

Keywords

• disasters
• safety
• preparedness