Disaster Preparedness

INTRODUCTION: Iran has always been prone to natural disasters, such as hurricanes and earthquakes, which are followed by heavy financial and bodily harms. In this regard, it is crucial to have disaster management in the schools of Iran to protect the significant number of young people studying in schools. Therefore, school principals must be constantly prepared for disasters and develop disaster management plans. METHODS: The present study aimed to identify and prioritize the factors that affect the natural disaster preparedness of schools using the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) method. Moreover, another objective of this research was to rank the elementary schools in District 6 of Mashhad regarding their disaster preparedness with the fuzzy technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (FTOPSIS). In this research, first, the criteria and sub-criteria for disaster preparedness were obtained using the Delphi method and according to the opinions of experts. Afterward, the collected criteria and sub-criteria were ranked using the FAHP method. The statistical population of this research consisted of experts, including principals and experts in the studied schools (schools in District 6 of Mashhad) who were familiar with disaster management issues. In total, 10 experts were selected as the sample using the purposive sampling method. FINDINGS: Based on the results, the most important disaster preparedness factors in schools were building retrofit, adherence to basic standards, and committee formation, in that order. CONCLUSION: Finally, the elementary schools of District 6 of Mashhad were ranked in terms of disaster preparedness using the obtained model and the FTOPSIS. This ranking can help the managers in making decisions to prioritize the conduction of building retrofit of the schools in the studied area.

Introduction: Disaster preparedness is one of the most important components of reducing vulnerability, which is poorly considered in Tehran, Iran. Several factors and personality traits are involved in this negligence. This study aimed to investigate the procrastination trait and its relationship with disaster preparedness levels in Tehran, Iran. Method: This descriptive-correlational study was conducted between 2018 and 2021 using structural equation modeling. The statistical population of this study was citizens in Tehran, Iran. A sample size of 419 cases was included in this study. Standard tests have also been utilized to investigate the variables. Findings: Based on the obtained results, according to the coefficients reported in the model, it can be observed that procrastination has no significant effect on disaster preparedness Conclusion: Procrastination and experiences gained affect people's preparedness for disaster. According to the results, the preparedness of the people of Tehran for accidents is very low.

INTRODUCTION: Disasters are unavoidable situations that lead to financial and human losses. Iran due to its special situation is prone to natural and man-made disasters. Since hospitals face many injuries during disasters, managers must be prepared to deal with these conditions. Accordingly, this study aimed to determine the knowledge and attitude of public hospitals managers in Lorestan province about disaster preparedness. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 158 senior managers of public hospitals in Lorestan province were selected by census method. The disaster preparedness knowledge and attitude questionnaire was completed by the respondents after the approval of the ethics committee and obtaining the necessary permits. Finally, data was analyzed with SPSS-21 and the significance level was P<0.05. FINDINGS: According to the findings, mean score for knowledge of managers was 12.26 out of 25, and the mean attitude score was 66.18 out of 80. Among the studied variables, there was a significant relationship between age, disaster experience and knowledge. A significant relationship was also seen between the attitude and disaster experience. There was no significant relationship between knowledge, attitude and levels of management. Also there was no significant correlation between knowledge score and attitude. CONCLUSION: The results showed that the knowledge of managers was moderate, and their attitude was good. Due to the important role of hospital managers during disasters, it is recommended that hold training courses in disaster preparedness, especially for young managers, to increase the .knowledge of healthcare managers, and trainings be held more practically.