Health in Emergencies and Disasters Quarterly
Year:2022 | Volume:8 | Issue:1|Papers Count:8

Brief Policy: The studies reviewed in this section are from PubMed, International Statistical Institute (ISI), ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, and Scopus databases using the following keywords, including dust storm, meteorological elements, temperature, heat wave, cold wave, relative humidity, wind blow, atmospheric pressure, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, cerebrovascular diseases, Myocardial Infarction (MI), Cerebrovascular Accident (CVA), lung diseases, health, brain events, heart events, heart attack, Coronary Artery Diseases (CAD), acute coronary symptoms (ACS), ischemic heart disease (IHD), Congestive Heart Failure (CHF), chronic diseases, and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases (COPD). The study was conducted using the combined strategy of and, or, and not statements...

Background: Iran is exposed to several kinds of hazards throughout the country. Disasters cause mental health distress among survivors and disaster rescuers. Most psychological symptoms may decrease in time, but they could persist for months or even years in some individuals. Therefore, the present study aimed to explore the consequences of exposure to traumatic events with its components, which are derived from rescuers’,life experiences. Materials and Methods: A qualitative study based on content analysis was conducted according to Landman and Graneheim approach. Through the purposive sampling method, 17 semi-structured interviews were applied until reaching data saturation. Interviews were transcribed verbatim. In the next steps, data condensing, labeling, coding, and defining categories were conducted. Results: Based on the experience of the study participants, two main concepts with four categories and 12 subcategories were developed. Two main concepts included regression and resilience consequences. Conclusion: Emergency departments should be aware of work-related mental health and behavioral problems and provide appropriate support programs to prevent ineffective consequences of incidence scene psychological distress and empower the rescuer’, s resiliency.

Background: Natural disasters, such as floods provide the basis for spreading vector-borne diseases by creating environmental changes. This study aims to investigate the common vector-borne diseases during floods in Khuzestan Province, Iran, in 2019 and the strategies and challenges to control them. Materials and Methods: This research is applied objectively and it is a descriptive survey in terms of collecting data using a qualitative method. The statistical population in the qualitative section included 15 experts from health centers in Khuzestan Province with a history of presence in flooded areas who were purposively selected using the snowball technique. The data collection tool was a semi-structured interview. Results: Qualitative data were categorized into 5 categories of common arthropods, common vector-borne diseases, vector control strategies and challenges, and organs involved in vector control programs during floods. The most common arthropods were lice, mites, mosquitoes, flies, and scorpions. The most prevalent vector-borne diseases during the flood were scabies, pediculosis, mosquito bites, and scorpions. The critical challenge was the lack of national vector control guideline in disaster condition. Conclusion: Considering the history of floods and health problems caused by these natural disasters, it is necessary to recognize the common vector-borne diseases, develop national guidelines, and provide solutions to deal with them.

Background: This research was conducted to evaluate the effect of social capital on the student’, s mental health with the mediation of resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and Methods: The research is based on the objective criterion in the applied research group and the data collection method criterion in the survey research group. The statistical population includes the students of the state universities of Tehran and Islamic Azad University Science and Research Branch. The sample size was estimated to be 427 people using SPSS SamplePower software. The share of each university was determined by proportional stratified sampling, and then the samples from each stratum were selected by a simple random method. SPSS and AMOS software was used to analyze the data. Results: To investigate the hypotheses, we used the 1-sample t-test, the Pearson correlation, multiple regression analysis, and the structural equation model. According to research, social capital has a significant effect on the resilience and mental health of students, considering that the indirect effect of social capital (through resilience) on mental health has also become significant,therefore resilience variable has a mediating role between social capital and mental health variables. The age variable has a positive and significant relationship with all three variables of social capital, resilience, and mental health, so the variables above increase with age. Conclusion: Considering the importance of social capital, society members can improve their resilience by developing communication networks and being aware of critical conditions to suffer the least psychological and social damage in this pandemic.

Background: Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) can play a vital role in decreasing morbidity and mortality. Due to the increasing development of electronic systems, their use can be effective in improving the quality of services and reducing costs. This study aimed to assess the satisfaction of EMTs with electronic forms. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional analytical study was conducted on 99 EMTs in Rasht City, Iran. Data was collected via a questionnaire, including demographic characteristics (age, sex, work experience, type of employment, level of education, field of study, and retraining course) and 17 questions about the satisfaction of personnel in using electronic forms. The validity and reliability of the questionnaire were assessed by 7 emergency medicine specialists via a pilot study. The questionnaire had a Likert scale to respond with Cronbach’, s alpha of 0. 83. Data were analyzed using SPSS software v. 22. Results: The Mean±, SD age of participants was 36. 08±, 0. 73 years. Most of them had a bachelor’, s degree (71. 7%), contractual employment (40. 4%), and Bachelor of Science (BSc) in nursing (46. 5%) or emergency technician (42. 4%). Their average work experience was 10. 45±, 0. 69 years. The level of satisfaction of most EMTs (65. 7%) in using the electronic form was moderate, which statistically had a significant relationship with their employment status (P<05). Conclusion: According to the average satisfaction of EMTs in using electronic forms, it is necessary to increase the level of use and satisfaction of electronic forms by holding appropriate retraining programs on how to use and benefits of electronic forms.

Background: Road accidents are regarded as one of the most critical global health issues. In Iran, road accidents are the second cause of death, followed by cardiovascular diseases. The present study was conducted with the aim of the epidemiological evaluation of deaths caused by road accidents in Torbat Heydariyeh City, Iran, between 2013 and 2017. Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional study in which information on fatal road accidents recorded in the Forensic Medicine Organization of Torbat Heydariyeh City was collected from 2013 to 2017. Excel software was used to analyze the data. A total of 311 fatal accidents have been reported in Torbat Heydariyeh from 2013 to 2017. Results: The Mean±, SD age of the deceased was 39. 55±, 22. 71. Men accounted for 69% of deaths. Most road accidents occurred in 2016 with a percentage of 24%, most of which happened in the sixth month with a percentage of 13%. Head injury in road accidents was reported as the main cause of death (48%). 130 of the dead were passengers (42%). The type of vehicle used by victims of road accidents was motorcycles (25%), and pedestrians (18%). Conclusion: Since fatal road accidents impose direct and indirect costs on society, intervention measures, such as repairing the roads on accident-prone roads, installing warning signs, defined fines, etc., should be taken to improve public health and prevent the increasing trend of accidents in Iran.

Background: The gravity point of all management systems in the new approach of global worldwide standards includes management and assessment of risks and opportunities. Although the spread of COVID-19 as a global pandemic has threatened the health of the workforce and caused catastrophic human and economic consequences, the occurrence of this global challenge has also created opportunities to pay more attention to the risk assessment of biological harmful agents in the workplace. Therefore, this study was designed and implemented to analyze the risk of COVID-19 based on fuzzy logic. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional and descriptive-analytical study was conducted in 5 hospitals and health-treatment centers in Qom City, Iran (2019). The study sample included 247 employees of these medical centers. The risk assessment of COVID-19 is based on the rapid COVID-19 hazard analysis (RCHA) technique in which the risk level is calculated based on the three components of disease probability, consequence severity, and health belief level. Also, the data were analyzed using fuzzy logic. Results: The results of the fuzzy analysis of COVID-19 risk in these medical centers showed that the studied subjects were placed in five risk levels, including 10. 5, 16. 25, 26. 75, 38. 5, and 56. 0. These results revealed that the group of nurses is at the highest risk of COVID-19 compared to the other seven groups working in medical centers. The definite risk of COVID-19 among people in this group was calculated at four levels equal to 16. 25, 26. 75, 38. 5, and 56. 0. Conclusion: The results of fuzzy analysis of COVID-19 risk indicated that the three groups of nurses, patient carriers, and ward services have the highest risk, respectively. Therefore, these groups should be prioritized in providing suitable solutions to prevent this disease.

Background: In the present study, four anxiety coping types and their relationship to bioand health-psychologically relevant parameters were investigated in the first lockdown phase in Germany. The four anxiety management types are the non-defensive, represser, sensitizer and highly anxious. These types originate from a concept by Byrne (1961), Krohne (1974), whereby the handling of fearful information is examined. According to newer studies from Stueck (2021), these anxiety coping styles during lockdown are related to various other biopsychological and health psychological parameters. Materials and Methods: To investigate the problem and question of the frequency of the anxiety types, the relationship to bio-and health-psychological parameters and age-specific characteristics of these variables, an experimental group was studied (N=325, f=164 m=57 d=1). This study took place 10 days after the lockdown in Germany. Results: The problematic anxiety coping types (Sensitizer, Repressive & Highly Anxious) are represented by 54. 2% frequency of occurrence. The Flexible-adaptive type (Non-Defensive) that is by having an acceptable adaptability to the anxiety-provoking situation are prominent with 45. 8%. In terms of the correlations with the bio-and health-psychological variables, correlations were found between the problematic anxiety coping styles and the negative expressions in the variables. Conclusion: The study shows the importance of a differential consideration according to age in the expression of problematic anxiety coping styles in particular. The study also shows what bio-and health-psychological consequences these manifestations of problematic anxiety coping styles can have. In the following article, indications are given as to which interventional strategies can be applied to deal with these problems psychologically.