Hospital Surge Capacity in Disasters in a Developing Country: Challenges and Strategies Publisher



Gorgi HA¹ ; Jafari M¹ ; Shabanikiya H² ; Seyedin H¹ ; Rahimi A³ ; Vafaeenajar A² Show Affiliations
Source: Trauma Monthly Published:2017

Abstract

Background: The basic step in planning and policy-making for hospital surge capacity in disasters is the awareness of the current situation and problems. This issue is of greater importance in hospitals of developing countries that usually face many problems in ordinary situations; this paper aimed at identifying the status of hospitals in a developing country for surge capacity and the associated challenges at the time of disasters, and strategies to solve them. Methods: In this qualitative study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 27 participants, who were mostly officials of hospitals and the authorities of the ministry of health in Iran. Thematic analysis was used for analyzing the data. Results: In this study, 40subthemes and 12 themes under 4 main categories, including space, medication/supplies, manpower, and functional structures/plans, were identified. Some of these themes included shortage of space inside the structures, weakness in providing medication/emergency medical supplies, general shortageof manpower, weakness in maintaining and recalling staff at the time of hospital surge capacity in disasters, content defectin hospitals disaster preparedness plan, and weakness intraining for disasters Conclusions: Generally, there are various challenges hospital surge capacity at the time of disasters, and hospitals are disadvan-taged in this regard. However, implementing strategies recognized in this study may help resolve these challenges. Copyright © 2016, Trauma Monthly.