Journal of Rescue and Relief
Year:2012 | Volume:4 | Issue:3|Papers Count:18

Background: Strengthening the volunteer human resources motivation is one of the key trends in social participation development in community. For this reason, it is necessary to adopt some measures in an appropriate manner. Therefore, this research aims to identify the factors and trends which affect on voluntary services motivation of relief workers.Methods: In this research, both qualitative and quantitative approaches have been used. By using questionnaire, data was collected and analyzed based on Friedman test with regard to the nature of the research in the quantitative approach. All relief workers in Red Crescent society active sites were studied in Qazvin province. In the qualitative approach, the effective trends are analyzed in the four levels using Causal Layered Analysis.Results: According to the studies, many factors can affect on voluntary services motivation of relief workers. Totally, the factors are classified into two main categories: internal and external; each of these categories is divided into five components. Also, the future of voluntary services is explained in four levels of analysis using Causal Layered Analysis.Conclusion: Five internal factors were prioritized respectively such as creating inner calm; need to form friendships and relationships; worship and religious beliefs; developing and fulfilling the need for "achieving success"; and enjoying better mental and physical condition. Meanwhile, five external factors were prioritized respectively as follows: organizational behavior (human resource management, organizational policies, and etc), media and advertising, tools for encouragement, participation and team working, and the role of government and parliament. Overall, the effect of external factors was more than internal factors based on the comparison which was made between internal and external factors.

Background: Natural disasters are always one of the human health threatening factors in the worldwide which Iran provinces including East Azerbaijan are involved. This study aimed to assess awareness of environmental health experts in East Azerbaijan province about health problems during natural disasters.Methods: In this descriptive study, 144 environmental health experts were randomly selected and studied in East Azerbaijan province (including 52.1% from all Townships and 47.9% from Tabriz city). Questionnaires distributed among experts after validation by specialists; then the collected data was analyzed using SPSS.Results: According to the results, significant differences were found between the awareness of participants (45.5% experts and 53.5% technician of environmental health) in Tabriz and other Townships of province. Significant differences were also found between the level of education and workplace (P≤0.05). No significant difference was found between the age and history of employment in health centers (P≥0.05).Conclusion: The results indicate that the effect of education on experts' awareness of environmental health in natural disasters. So, some measures should be taken such as: to promote employees scientific level by training courses or retraining programs; to provide facilities in order to continue their education and recruiting new experts. Thus, these measures can reduce injuries or mortality rate due to lack of awareness of the health issues in natural disasters.

Background: Disasters caused 3 million deaths and involved 800 million people in the world during the last 20 years. Disasters cost over 500 billion dollars economically. Iran is one of the 10 most disaster-prone countries in the world based on United Nations table. There is a high incidence of natural disasters due to special geographic conditions, locating in earthquake faults, and flood-prone areas of Tehran. Since, hospitals as the most important healthcare systems should be prepared before disasters; this study was done in order to study the affiliated hospitals preparedness to University of Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences (Razi and Rofideh hospitals) for unexpected disasters.Methods: In this descriptive-analytical study, data was collected by using self administrated questionnaire in order to assess preparedness dimensions of both hospitals (Rofideh & Razi) dealing with unexpected disasters in 2010. The questionnaire had two parts: the first part was about hospital public specifications and the second part was related to study about the hospital preparedness in unexpected disasters. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze data.Results: According to findings, the preparedness of Rofideh hospital was very low (12/142) and Razi hospital was average (84/142) in unexpected disasters. However, these results showed inadequate preparedness for disasters.Conclusion: It seems necessary to design and perform an organized preparedness plan for disasters due to disaster-prone of Tehran province, the importance of hospitals' role in control of unexpected disasters and the necessity of planning and practical measurements such as teaching, human resources, equipment, structure, cooperation, financial budget, map dividing and code group. So, paying attention to the results and suggested strategies would be useful in order to design a preparedness plan for disasters.

Background: Because of specific ecological and geographical location, our country is one of the most disaster prone countries in the world which requires reasonable and special attention to disaster management. Therefore, the role of hospital is essential as the center of disaster management programming and health & care activities in coping with disasters. Regarding the importance of accreditation in improving health system performance, this study aims to construct and design a national accreditation model for hospital with special focus on disaster management.Methods: In this descriptive study that done 2 years, after a vast literature review, researchers designed a systematic review in the best databases such as Ovid Medline, Pub Med and SID in order to identify and utilize and benchmark the pioneer and the best accreditation models both in the region and in the world. A questionnaire designed by using Delphi technique and gaining experts opinions in order to determine the best accreditation models, their standards especially disaster management standards. Thereafter, experts give scores to the standards in aspects of ‘importance’ and ‘performance’.Results: In the systematic review section, the health & care accreditation models such as JCAHO (USA), CCHSA (Canada), ACHS (Australia), ANAES (France) and QHNZ (New Zealand) were selected as the best models in order to utilize and benchmark in the world respectively. It should note that Canada model (CCHSA) is known as the most comprehensive one in disaster management. Also, Lebanon and Egypt accreditation models were chosen as the best local models (EMRO). The Delphi study was done in 2 rounds with high response rate and the standards was exerted in view of experts. However, for all selected model, 'content statement' and 'objective measurable components' were prepared regarding the most common and related model in disaster management. Finally, the designed model was completed by writing of essential parts of standards.Conclusion: The final designed model has 15 standards with 'content statement' and 'objective measurable components'. This is an enrich accreditation model in number, range and diversion of standards according to various aspects of crisis management so that we can claim it is a most complete model in the world. After a preliminary study and final reform, this model will be able to improve the hospital performance especially in terms of crisis management and hospital preparedness in emergencies. There is no doubt that the application of this model in our health system leads to significant improvement in health system performance and clients' satisfaction.

Background: This study aims to investigate the causes of failure to cooperate with Red Crescent society volunteers in Charmahal & Bakhtiari and to suggest appropriate strategies in order to retain and keep members and volunteers.Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 350 volunteers were selected and studied in Red Crescent society of Charmahal & Bakhtiari province by accidental sampling in 2010-2011. Data was collected and analyzed by using a self administrated questionnaire (21 questions), inferential and descriptive statistics (chi-square).Results: Descriptive statistics were as follows: volunteers in participation and support categories had the highest and lowest knowledge about the activities of Red Crescent society respectively; most members joined and attended voluntary to the Society; most volunteers and members believed that attracting new volunteers and inadequate information and advertisement were the main weakness of volunteers' unit; also they mentioned that the main reason of volunteering reduction were lack of proper plan and appropriate organizing in one hand and executing the one-way programs benefit to society and no benefit to volunteers in other hand. Volunteers agreed to pay membership fees as Hamyaran account in Red Crescent society. They highly agreed to attract new members through public calls and the presence of Red Crescent society officials in governmental organizations and departments. In order to familiarize people with Society activities, most volunteers selected production and editing programs common with Islamic Republic of Iran broadcasting. Volunteers mostly accepted the four-groups classifications should be according to their qualifications and tended to hold specialized courses. In their viewpoint, the heads unfamiliarity with related guidelines was the weakness of all four groups. Also, volunteers confirmed items such as participating in blood donation, collecting public donations, and establishing volunteers' bases. Volunteers believed they should be present at the scene of disasters in order to give relief along with Red Crescent Society in unexpected disasters. In volunteers' viewpoints, both plans of Homaye Rahmat and Fereshtegane Rahmat (Angels of Mercy) were very good.According to the inferential statistics results: there was a significant relationship between occupation, gender and membership (0.000=X2 <p=0.05); there was a significant relationship between membership (member/volunteer) and familiarity with Red Crescent society activities (0.65=X2> p=0.05); there was a significant relationship between membership category and familiarity with Red Crescent society activities (0.007=X2<p=0.05); also, there was no a significant relationship between gender and reason of volunteering (0.61= X2 <p=0.05); and there was no significant relationship between gender and type of membership (0.002=X 2 p=0.05.)Conclusion: The main weakness of volunteers' unit in attracting and retaining old and new members and volunteers are summarized in the following cases such as: inadequate information and advertisement; lack of proper plan and appropriate organizing in order to utilize volunteers' capability; executing one-way programs benefit to Society and no benefit to volunteers; head little familiarity with volunteers' guidelines and tasks in four categories; paying membership fees without justification; incorrect classification of volunteers in four categories; and lack of specialized training courses for volunteers.

Background: The need for education and human resources improvement has increased in organization due to significant advances in sciences and technologies and its impact on a variety of different fields, services and administrative activities of institutions and organizations. This research aimed to study the effect of on-the-job training courses on productivity variables including self confidence, human relationships, applying change and innovation and job responsibilities considerations on employees' of Red Crescent society of Kermanshah both in view of managers and employees.Methods: In this causal - comparative study, about 324 persons including 162 employees and all managers who have commented on these employees were selected and studied in Red Crescent society of Kermanshah province. Data was collected by two self-administrated questionnaires measuring productivity in view of both employees and managers and analyzed by a three-factor variance. Reliability of questionnaires was 0.68 and 0.87 based on Cronbach's alpha respectively. Also, it is used of five experts' viewpoints in order to determine the validity of the questions.Results: The results showed that on-the-job training courses have failed to create a significant change in the productivity variables such as human relationships, applying change and innovation and job responsibilities consideration with respect to age, work experience, education, and gender comparing between trained and untrained employees. However, the trained employees' confidence has increased with respect to gender.Conclusion: According to the results, on-the-job training courses have failed to change in human relationships, applying change and innovation and also job responsibilities consideration on employees of Red Crescent society of Kermanshah.

Background: The first emergency medical services system was organized by Baron Dominique Jean Larrey-Napoleon's surgeon during the battle of France with Germany and Austria. After collapsing the roof of Merhabad airport and killing a number of people, Iranian government decisided to launch the pre-hospital emergency medical system in 1976. Eslamshahr is the main highway with approximatly 500 thousand people. This township has only one hospital with 130 beds and 8 emergency centres; it has many traffic accidents in addition to common problems. The main goals of this study are to evaluate the performance of pre-hospital emergency and to determine the factors causing this loss because the time to reach patients and the injured side is an important factor. However, this time should be less than 8 minutes in the standard protocol.Methods: In this cross-sectional research, all completed missions by Eslamshahr emergency were studied in 2007- 2008. The arrival time on patients and the injured side considered as an only dependent variable by cluster sampling method. Then, the response variable regression model and other variables is discussed (a=5%).Results: In this study, a total of 4267 data of users from six emergency services bases were selected and studied randomly. This number includes 3,210 urban missions and the rest were road missions. About 35.1% of people in need of services were women and the rest were men. The median age was 40/51 years for those in need (SD=19.815). Also the average time to reach the scene of the emergency has been 5':36" (SD=4':42"). Meanwhile, the peak time of mission was 15':43". Since the arrival time at the scene were linear, the chart is based on a linear regression model. Given the significant level of 5% or even higher, the variables such as time of starting, summer and fall seasons vary significantly associated with time to reach the scene.Conclusion: The results of comparison between the models obtained in the urban and the road bases have shown that the variable of working days had no affect on the arrival time to the scene in any models (p=5%). Also, the variable of fall season had a significent effect on the arrival time to the scene in both models. Although most missions have been conducted in summer.

Background: Flood vulnerability is variable and complex that dependents on very phenomena such as rainfall, runoff and high exposure of the flooding downstream areas. Flood vulnerability changes over time and from regions due to natural conditions, human activities, and damage culture of the community at risk. Tehran city may be experiences the difference life and property damages because the high varieties in the socio-economic and the life quality level in regions, also structural varieties in the city fabric.Methods: In this study, the blocks with weak texture, population density, land use, bridge, slope and drainage density are defined as element at risk to assess the vulnerability differences pattern. Prioritization and the relationship between this variables and vulnerability was done through Analytic Hierarchy Process; based on expert opinions created a matrix with 6×6 dimensions to determine the variables relative weight and vulnerability map.Results: Zonal analysis determined the vulnerability in Tehran, which the weights calculated on the basis of the hierarchical process. Zones 10, 17, 8 and 11 are affected against floods urban very high, while zones 22, 21, 18 and 5 are very low. These zones are lack of the blocks with weak texture and their population is low, especially zone 22 is not weak texture, low density population and high potential of flow of Kan watercourse.Conclusion: The resulted relative weights show the population density with 0.3825 and drainage density with 0.0428 as highest and lowest relative weight, respectively. The vulnerability map defines that 138 km2 of the Tehran city area is located in high and very high categories of the vulnerability. Finally based on zonal statistic municipal 10 and 22 have highest and lowest vulnerability, respectively.

Crisis is an event that suddenly and/or increasingly caused and made naturally or by human that requires emergency, basic, and potential measures to solve it. Also, it is a multidimensional concept that is known as a tragedy by making main changes in physical and social environment and its' human outcomes.Management of a major crisis requires prevention, planning, testing, evaluation and maintenance to mitigate and minimize its consequences. A crisis is any natural, accidental or intentional event that severely impacts on people, property, and/or the environment.According to the previous results, crisis management requires formulating an overall method or framework and by designing appropriate and accuracy planning and past preparedness can at the much extent reduce damages and duration of great crises.By increasing their preparedness extent in deal with crises, large organizations such as Red Crescent, undoubtedly reduce damages and costs that come of crises.The research aims to explore the capacities, ability, role, and preparedness of Islamic Republic of Iran Red Crescent Society in deal with natural disasters and events.Here, some definitions have been represented about crisis management and then addressed to some factors such as capacities, ability, role, and preparedness of Islamic Republic of Iran Red Crescent Society in crisis management stages, and finally, some suggestions have been recommended in order to enhance the role and capacities of the Islamic Republic of Iran Red Crescent society.