Hostname: page-component-6bf8c574d5-vmclg Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-02-17T00:47:52.890Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

A Fundamental, National, Medical Disaster Management Plan: An Education-Based Model

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 June 2012

Ahmadreza Djalali ,
Vahid Hosseinijenab ,
Azadeh Hasani ,
Kianoush Shirmardi ,
Maaret Castrén ,
Gunnar Öhlén  and
Farzad Panahi
Ahmadreza Djalali*
Affiliation:
Karolinska Institute, Department of Clinical Science and Education, Södersjukhuset (KI SÖS), Stockholm, Sweden Department of Emergency Management, Natural Disaster Research Institute, Tehran, Iran
Vahid Hosseinijenab
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Management, Natural Disaster Research Institute, Tehran, Iran
Azadeh Hasani
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Management, Natural Disaster Research Institute, Tehran, Iran
Kianoush Shirmardi
Affiliation:
Tehran's Social Security Organization, Tehran, Iran
Maaret Castrén
Affiliation:
Karolinska Institute, Department of Clinical Science and Education, Södersjukhuset (KI SÖS), Stockholm, Sweden Karolinska Institute, Department of prehospital and emergency medicine, Södersjukhuset (KI SÖS), Stockholm, Sweden
Gunnar Öhlén
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
Farzad Panahi
Affiliation:
Trauma Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
*
Södersjukhuset (KI SöS) Sjukhusbacken 10118 83 Stockholm, Sweden E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

During disasters, especially following earthquakes, health systems are expected to play an essential role in reducing mortality and morbidity. The most significant naturally occurring disaster in Iran is earthquakes; they have killed <180,000 people in the last 90 years. According to the current plan in 2007, the disaster management system of Iran is composed of three main work groups: (1) Prevention and risk management, (2) Education, and (3) Operation. This organizational separation has resulted in lack of necessary training programs for experts of specialized organizations, e.g., the Ministry of Health and Medical Education (MOHME).The National Board of MOHME arranged a training program in the field of medical disaster management. A qualified training team was chosen to conduct this program in each collaborating center, based on a predefined schedule. All collaborating centers were asked to recall 5–7 experts from each member university. Working in medical disaster management field for ≤2 years was an inclusion criterion. The training programs lasted three days, consisted of all relevant aspects of medical disaster management, and were conducted over a six-month period (November 2007–April 2008). Pretest and post-tests were used to examine the participants' knowledge regarding disaster management; the mean score on the pretest was 67.1 ±11.6 and 88.1 ±6.2, respectively. All participants were asked to hold the same training course for their organizations in order to enhance knowledge of related managers, stakeholders, and workers, and build capacity at the local and provincial levels. The next step was supposed to be developing a comprehensive medical disaster management plan for the entire country. Establishing nine disaster management regional collaborating centers in the health system of Iran has provided an appropriate base for related programs to be rapidly and easily accomplished throughout the country. This tree-shaped model is recommended as a cost-benefit and rapid approach for conducting training programs and developing a disaster management plan in the health system of a developing country.

Keywords

disaster management planeducation
Type
Brief Report
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , Volume 24 , Issue 6 , December 2009 , pp. 565 - 569
Copyright
Copyright © World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine 2009

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1. Peak-Asa, C, Kraus, JF, Bourque, LB, et al. : Fatal and hospitalized injuries resulting from the 1994 Northridge earthquake. Int J Epidemiol 1998;27(3):459–465.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
2. Schultz, CH, Koenig, KL, Noji, EK: A medical disaster response to reduce immediate mortality after an earthquake. N Engl J Med 1996;334:438–444.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
3. Marizen, Ramirez, Corinne Peek-Asa: Epidemiology of traumatic injuries from earthquakes. Epidemiol Rev 2005;27:47–55.Google Scholar
4. World Health Organization: Guidelines on non-structural safety in health facilities. Available at http://www.searo.who.int/en/Section1257/Section2263/Section2304_13272.htm. Accessed October 2008.Google Scholar
5. Pan American Health Organization. Principles of Disaster Mitigation in Health Facilities. Available at http://www.paho.org/English/PED/mitigation3.pdf. Accessed July 2008.Google Scholar
6. Barbera, JA, Macintyre, AG: Medical and health incident management (MaHIM) system: A Comprehensive Functional System Description for Mass Casualty Medical and Health Incident Management. Available at http://www.gwu.edu/~icdrm/publications/MaHIM%20V2%20final%20report%20sec%202.pdf. Accessed May 2007.Google Scholar
7. Angus, DC, Pretto, EA, Abrams, JI, et al. : Epidemiologic assessment of mortality, building collapse pattern, and medical response after the 1992 earthquake in Turkey. Prehosp Disaster Med 1997;12:222–231.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
8. Fawcett, W, Oliveira, CS: Casualty treatment after earthquake disasters: development of a regional simulation model. Disasters 2000;24:271–287.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
9. Tanaka, H, Iwai, A, Oda, J, et al. : Overview of evacuation and transport of patients following the 1995 Hanshin-Awaji earthquake. J Emerg Med 1998;16:439–444.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
10. Mohammad, J: Emami, Strategies in evaluation and management of Bam Earthquake victims. Prehosp Disaster Med 2005;20(5):327–330.Google Scholar
11. National report of the Islamic Republic of Iran on disaster reduction. Available at http://www.unisdr.org/eng/mdgs-drr/national-reports/Iranreport.pdf. Accessed October 2008.Google Scholar
12. World Health Organization. The Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran and WHO Joint Project for: Reconstruction of Health Services in Bam. Available at http://www.preventionweb.net/files/2619_BamPlan16.pdf. Accessed November 2008.Google Scholar
13. Saghafinia, M, Araghizade, H, Nafissi, N, Asadollahi, R: Treatment management in disaster: A review of the Bam Earthquake experience. Prehosp Disaster Med 2007;22(6):517–521.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
14. World Health Organization: Health sector response to Bam earthquake. 2005. Available at http://www.emro.who.int/publications/Book_Details.asp?ID=195. Accessed September 2008.Google Scholar
15. Birnbaum, ML, Sundnes, KO: Health Disaster Management: Guidelines for Evaluation and Research in the “Utstein Style.” Glossary of Terms. Prehosp Disast Med 2002; 17(Suppl 3):144–167.Google Scholar
16. Kulling, PEJ, Holst, JEA: Educational and training systems in Sweden for prehospital response to acts of terrorism. Prehosp Disaster Med 2003;18(3):184–188.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
17. Collander, B, Green, B, Millo, Y, et al. : Development of an “all-hazards” hospital disaster preparedness training course utilizing multi-modality teaching. Prehosp Disaster Med 2008;23(1):63–67.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
18. Hsu, EB, Thomas, TL, Bass, EB, et al. : Healthcare worker competencies for disaster training. BMC Med Ed 2006;6:9.Google ScholarPubMed
19. Hsu, EB, Jenckes, MW, Catlett, CL, et al. : Effectiveness of hospital staff masscasualty incident training methods: A systematic literature review. Prehosp Disaster Med 2004:19(3):191–199.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed