Health in Emergencies and Disasters Quarterly
Year:2018 | Volume:3 | Issue:3|Papers Count:7

Humans experience different danger situations every day and encounter many hazards consciously or unconsciously; sometimes they have to do things with high risk, for example, driving has many probable dangers, but it is unlikely to find a person who does not drive. The term “risk” have different origins in different cultures and its origin could not be determined clearly, thus people can perceive it differently. This word is often used in everyday common words. Any individual uses this term on the basis of the importance of the subject and how it can be challenged...

Background: Triage is the key for success in management of large numbers of injured and limited resources, and without preparedness of nurses to would seem an impossible task. This study has been conducted with the aim of determining the effect of training through the method of simulation on the knowledge and performance of nursing students in carrying out the pre-hospital triage.Materials and Methods: This semi-experimental study was conducted on 70 students of nursing who were selected based on the study’s inclusion criteria and through the randomized sampling method. The researcher tools included “triage test having 10 questions of four options each and practical test including examining the correct performance of triage based on START criteria by using 10 designed simulated mockup models and based on the injury received by the victim and the level of injury”. The validity of the test was verified through the formal and content validity method, and the reliability of the knowledge questionnaire based on the Cronbach-Alpha Coefficient was obtained to be equal to 0.87. After examining the level of knowledge on triage before training, the triage training workshop was held in two sessions of two hours each and through the simulation method, and again the scientific test and practical test were performed. For data analysis, the paired t-test and independent t-test were used, and the Kolmogorov Smirnov test was used to examine data normality. Data were analyzed using SPSS software-version 16.Results: The results of statistical analysis showed that the level of students’ knowledge significantly increased from 4.6±1.94 before training to 7.40±1.35 after training. Their performance significantly increased from 4.90±1.6 to 8.30±1.5.Conclusion: The results of the study showed that training with the simulation method on mockup model was effective on the preparedness of nurses for triage when accidents and emergencies occur.It was also found that training improves their preparedness in this regard. It is recommended that for better preparedness of nurses in triage in case of accidents and medical emergencies, this training method should be used.

Background: By identifying the geographical location for the crucial relief stations, it is possible to facilitate the accessibility of the medical services to the injured individuals in crisis situations. The main objective of this research is to study the possibility of combined application of the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), ArcGIS and Transcad software to identify the factors which affect the vulnerability of infrastructure in a study region, to determine the relative importance of these factors in relation to each other, to identify the high risk regions, to identify appropriate health-care centers for relief purposes and to examine the capability of these centers for providing the services required in crisis conditions.Materials and Methods: This is a case study type of research, conducted in the central region of Isfahan, a large city located in the middle of Iran. The required data and information have been collected from the results of the "Population and Housing Census" comprising maps presenting the current status of Isfahan. They were then analyzed using Arc GIS and Transcad software and an AHP model developed by using the Expert Choice Software.Results: The obtained results revealed the possibility of successful application of the methodology proposed in this study. The results of this case study, conducted on 94 out of 186 traffic zones defined in the "Comprehensive Transportation Plan of Isfahan City," indicated that 10 zones, mainly located in the residential areas, are highly vulnerable to be exposed to the post-earthquake incidents. The results also showed that out of 19 medical centers located at the service area of the study region, which also contribute to the 80% of the medical services in Isfahan, four medical centers with the best accessibility in the shortest time, can provide services to these 10 zones.Conclusion: The results obtained from this case study indicated that the vulnerability of a traffic zone and its fatality rate in crisis events cannot be specified by only considering its physical conditions and other factors, e.g., population density and building density but also the lifetime of the buildings are also highly effective. In addition, due to the inappropriate positioning and being located in the narrow and vulnerable streets, some of the medical stations, such as Hojatieh Hospital and Amir-Al-Muminin Hospital, are vulnerable to post-crisis risk and there is a possibility of loss of access to these centers.

Background: This study investigated the accidents recorded at the Gonabad Hospital Management Center for Hospital Management from 2014 to 2016, and identified important causes or parameters that influenced the incidence of accidents using the Pareto chart.Materials and Methods: This descriptive and analytic study examined 25, 414 incidents recorded at the Gonabad Hospital Management Center. The key variables such as the types of accident, age, time, types of lesion, and treatment, were collected for transport and nontransport accident. Data analysis was performed using Pareto chart as well as Minitabver v.16 and SPSS v.21 software.Results: Based on the results, the highest rate of the accidents (39.79%) were among people aged between 0-10 years. Transport accidents (17.61%) and heart attacks (10.92%) were the most common that occurred during the study. The spring had the highest rate of accidents, while the winter had the lowest.Conclusion: Transportation accidents had the highest rate of incidents and injuries; therefore, the safety of transportation and vehicles should be taken more seriously.

Background: The first effect of the any natural, artificial and social crises is on the traffic flow and the cut-off of the vital transport arteries. In this effect, various sectors involving in rescue, safety, and evacuation of the wounded and injured people, as well as many decisions made by crisis managers, face a lot of challenges. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the readiness of traffic-related organizations in preventing crisis and traffic damages in metropolitan areas.Materials and Methods: This was an applied study, and the Delphi method was used for collecting the data from respondents. The statistical population consists of 40 Iranian traffic experts. A researcher-made questionnaire was designed for collecting the data, and its validity and reliability were confirmed using Face validity criteria and Cochran’s formula (α=0.891).Friedman test was used for statistical analysis, and the goodness of the research model was measured using multiple linear regression analysis.Results: The readiness to continuously monitor traffic crises (beta coefficients=0.864) and readiness for timely notification of traffic crises (beta coefficients=0.399) were reported as the highest effective variables in preventing crisis damages by traffic-related organizations.Conclusion: To deal with the traffic crises, traffic-related organizations should be ready for continuously monitoring and timely notification of traffic crises, inter-organizational interactions, and mobilization of facilities.

Background: The present study was carried out aimed to examine the relationship between workplace spirituality and job satisfaction. It also aimed to determine the intermediary role of attitude toward death among emergency department staff in Shiraz city.Materials and Methods: In this descriptive and correlation study, the statistical population included 90 staff of the Shiraz Emergency department who were selected through simple random sampling in 2016-2017. Spirituality questionnaires in the workplace, life satisfaction and attitude towards death were used in this research, and the data were analyzed by SPSS and EMOS software.Results: The results of the data analysis indicated that workplace spirituality had a negative effect (b=-0.32, P=0.001) on neutral acceptance and a positive effect (b=0.21, P=0.03) on active acceptance and life satisfaction (b=0.19, P=0.05). Furthermore, out of the attitudes toward death scales, only neutral acceptance could play a mediating role between workplace spirituality and life satisfaction (b=-0.27, P=0.00). Model fitting indicators show that the model has a good fit (X2=0.86, GFA=0.97, CFI=0.99).Conclusion: The results show that workplace spirituality is compatible with life satisfaction and the mediating role of attitude toward death among the staff of the emergency department.

Background: Many cities such as Tehran, Tabriz, Rudbar, Manjil, Tabas, Lar, Qazvin, Zanjan, Hamadan, and Kermanshah are prone to damages and losses caused by the earthquake. The occurrence of an earthquake can lead to the destruction of school buildings and disruption in the function of educational systems, and the first responders will be school officials and students. This study compared Shiraz and Kerman high school students' knowledge encountering the earthquake hazard. Materials and Methods: The research method was descriptive and the statistical population included all students of junior high schools in Shiraz and Kerman cities. Through cluster sampling method and based on Cochran’ s formula, 380 students in Shiraz and 376 in Kerman were randomly selected. Data collection tool was the self-administered questionnaire which was distributed among the samples after checking its validity and reliability. Data were analyzed using t test and one-way analysis of variance. Results: Findings revealed that 54. 5% of Shiraz students and 59. 4% of Kerman students received scores between 0. 40 and 0. 60, and 23. 6% of Shiraz students and 27. 1% of Kerman students received scores between 0. 60 and 0. 80. The level of Kerman students' knowledge was higher than Shiraz students' in the emergency measures before an earthquake (0. 53 Vs 0. 5, p=0. 008). However, there was no difference between the two groups in their knowledge on emergency measures during and after the earthquake. Conclusion: The knowledge level of students regarding the serious risk of an earthquake was lower than standard. The level of the Kerman students' knowledge was evaluated higher than the Shiraz students'. Therefore, there is a need for training and education through new methods in order to improve the level of students’ knowledge in the emergency measures before, during, and after the earthquake.