Evaluation and comparison of hospital preparedness levels against mass-casualty disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: Inadequate preparedness of hospitals is associated with negative outcomes in the treatment procedure. During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, healthcare systems faced many problems due to the widespread prevalence of the disease. This study was designed and conducted with the aim of investigating and comparing the preparedness levels of hospitals against mass-casualty disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Method: This research was a cross-sectional, descriptive-analytical study conducted in January 2022 in five educational hospitals affiliated with Qom University of Medical Sciences, Qom, Iran, admitting COVID-19 patients. The National Hospital Preparedness Checklist and the Hospital Preparedness Checklist for the COVID-19 pandemic were used to collect the required data.

Results: The total preparedness level against mass-casualty disasters was estimated to be 79.81 percent. The lowest and highest average preparedness scores were related to the dimensions of "Logistic and management of supplies" (74 percent) and "command and control" (96.66 percent), respectively. In addition, the overall preparedness level against COVID-19 was estimated to be 87.20 percent. The lowest and highest average percentage of preparedness scores were related to the fields of "supply management" (71.81 percent) and "laboratory services" (97.14 percent), respectively.

Conclusion: The duration of exposure to emergency situations and managerial perspectives are among the factors affecting the preparedness of -medical systems against disasters. It is assumed that some kind of adaptation exists in healthcare systems, which leads to an improvement in their preparedness level. In order to deal with crises, it is suggested to set up specialized hospitals (such as trauma centers), train crisis managers, and use them in the management of medical centers.