Mojtaba Salimi; Ahmad Soltani; Hamid Haghighi; Mehrdad Taheri; Abbas Aminizadeh; Tayeba Salimi; Milad Ahmadi Marzaleh
Volume 25, Issue 8 , 2023
Abstract
Background: Urban planning and urban planning activities have increased the pressure on nature and weakened its resilience, often bringing negative and even irreparable consequences.Objectives: One of the most important issues in urban management in recent years is the emergence of resilient cities. ...
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Background: Urban planning and urban planning activities have increased the pressure on nature and weakened its resilience, often bringing negative and even irreparable consequences.Objectives: One of the most important issues in urban management in recent years is the emergence of resilient cities. Hormozgan is one of the most important provinces of the country, and Bandar Abbas, in the center of this province, is considered one of the major coastal cities of Iran from a national point of view.Methods: To identify and examine the resilience of Bandar Abbas against environmental crises, based on which an information base was created, the place and spatial information of this database was prepared in 5 criteria and 29 sub-criteria. They include 1. socio-economic criteria, 2. structural criteria, 3. access criteria, 4. physical criteria, and 5. Ecological criteria. In the next step, to weigh and value the research criteria and sub-criteria in the resilience model of Bandar Abbas, the network analysis method (ANP) was used. In this model, the first 50 questionnaires were prepared by the Delphi method and distributed among experts in the field of environment and disaster management.Results: The findings of this study indicated that the weight and value of ecological, socio-economic, physical, accessibility, and physical-structural criteria in resilience were 0.256, 0.236, 0.194, 0.171, and 0.141, respectively. Among the ecological criteria, the sub-criterion of distance from polluted points, the socio-economic criterion, the sub-criterion of access to medical-health centers, the sub-criterion of access to medical-health centers, among the physical-structural criteria, flood risk sub-criterion, and functional zone sub-criterion, and among access criteria, the sub-criterion of access to the fire station obtained the highest values in resilience.Conclusion: Environmental crises, such as earthquakes, floods, accidents, air pollution, and storms, have resulted in the environmental vulnerability of the city and posed serious threats to the security of Bandar Abbas. A thorough understanding of the vulnerability of Bandar Abbas against urban environmental crises will enable policymakers to propose management solutions to reduce vulnerability and risk and increase resilience. Consequently, the main goal of this study was to evaluate the resilience of Bandar Abbas against environmental crises. The results of this study can be of great help in the decision-making of city managers and the lives of city residents.
Ahmad Soltani; Shahram Mohaghegh
Volume 25, Issue 2 , 2023
Abstract
Background: The risk of transmission of COVID-19 infection significantly increases with mass gatherings during the pandemic. According to WHO recommendations, the decision to hold, modify, postpone, or cancel gatherings of any size during the COVID-19 pandemic should rely on a risk-based approach. WHO ...
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Background: The risk of transmission of COVID-19 infection significantly increases with mass gatherings during the pandemic. According to WHO recommendations, the decision to hold, modify, postpone, or cancel gatherings of any size during the COVID-19 pandemic should rely on a risk-based approach. WHO Mass Gathering COVID-19 Risk Assessment tool-Generic Events, to the best of our knowledge, has not been translated into Persian and its reliability and validity have not been determined in the Iranian population.
Objectives: The present study aimed to assess the reliability and validity of the Persian version of the WHO Mass Gathering COVID-19 risk Assessment tool-Generic Events in the Iranian population.
Methods: The content and face validity of the final Persian version of the WHO Mass Gathering COVID-19 Risk Assessment tool- Generic Event, Version 2 (10 July 2020) was confirmed by five experts and the WHO office in Tehran, Iran. Then, the tool was completed by 17 Iranian adults on two occasions at least two weeks after a hypothetical mass gathering event. The participants were mainly selected from the personnel of the Iranian red crescent society. All of them had a bachelor's or higher university degree in health sciences. The data were analyzed using SPSS software and related statistical tests (Pearson correlation coefficient).
Results: Risk evaluation and risk mitigation questions of the Persian version of the tool had high reliability on two occasions at least two weeks after a hypothetical mass gathering event based on the Pearson correlation coefficient (r=0.81, P-value=0.03 for risk evaluation and r=0.75, P-value=0.04 for risk mitigation questions based on their final scores).
Conclusion: The Persian version of the tool can be used to classify the risk of mass gatherings for COVID-19 infection.
Ahmad Soltani; Nader Ghanizadeh; Milad Ahmadi Marzaleh; Hadi Mahmoodi; Marjan Akbari
Volume 25, Issue 1 , 2023
Abstract
Background: Natural and manmade disasters affect public health directly and indirectly. As statistics show, 31 of the 42 types of natural disasters in the world occur in Iran; therefore, preparation is necessary to effectively manage them. To this end, it is essential to train experienced and professional ...
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Background: Natural and manmade disasters affect public health directly and indirectly. As statistics show, 31 of the 42 types of natural disasters in the world occur in Iran; therefore, preparation is necessary to effectively manage them. To this end, it is essential to train experienced and professional personnel to work in disaster fields.
Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the gaps in pre-hospital knowledge and skills among the rescuers of the Red Crescent Society of the Islamic Republic of Iran to increase the effectiveness of pre-hospital training courses for rescuers across the country.
Methods: This study was conducted with a descriptive qualitative method in two months through targeted in-depth interviews with the personnel of aid and relief centers, staff, volunteers, and pre-hospital skills training instructors of the Red Crescent Society. The inclusion criteria were having a bachelors degree or above and at least seven years of work experience (including teaching and responding to operations), as well as willingness to participate in the study. To determine the gaps in pre-hospital knowledge and skills in the Red Crescent society, the interviews were conducted in a semi-structured manner. A total of 31 interviews were conducted, which were written verbatim, and the codes were extracted manually. Finally, thematic analysis was used to analyze the data.
Results: After analyzing the text of the interviews, 98 codes were extracted, which after removing duplicate codes and reanalyzing, were divided into two categories of knowledge and skills, each of which had 10 subcategories.
Conclusion: It seems that the pre-hospital theoretical and skill training courses of the Red Crescent Society failed to fill the knowledge and skill gaps identified in this research in terms of content and skills. Therefore, these courses can be revised based on the findings of this study. It is also necessary to identify the weight of each of the themes and investigate their impact on the efficiency of rescuers performance through a supplementary quantitative study, which we suggest as a topic for future research.
Marzie Tajik Jalali; Milad Ahmadi Marzaleh; Fateme Askarian; Seyede Maryam Najibi; Ahmad Soltani; Sajad Delavari
Volume 24, Issue 9 , 2022
Abstract
Background: Rumors concerning various aspects of the fight against COVID-19, vaccination, in particular, have become one of the main challenges for managers and policymakers who have to deal with different aspects of the disease. This necessitates the recognition of the factors that influence the prevention ...
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Background: Rumors concerning various aspects of the fight against COVID-19, vaccination, in particular, have become one of the main challenges for managers and policymakers who have to deal with different aspects of the disease. This necessitates the recognition of the factors that influence the prevention and spread of these rumors.
Objectives: The current study aimed to investigate the link between health literacy among adults and their acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination rumors in Iran.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from November 15 to December 15, 2021, in different provinces of Iran. The study population included Iranian adults, aged 18 years and older, who were selected using the snowball sampling method. The data collection tools involved two questionnaires: the Health Literacy Questionnaire, which consists of 33 items, and the COVID-19 Vaccine Rumor Questionnaire which assesses 17 rumors related to COVID-19 vaccination collected from various news sources.
Results: The number of completed questionnaires was 1158 out of 2163 questionnaire visits (74% response rate). Univariate analysis showed that health literacy had a statistically significant association with sociodemographic variables of gender, marital status, ethnicity, place of residence, and level of education. The results of data analysis also demonstrated a significant correlation between the average of rumors acceptance and the sociodemographic variables of gender, marital status, ethnicity, place of residence, and level of education. The results of the Pearson correlation coefficient test showed a significant and negative relationship between health literacy and rumor belief (P= 0.000, r=-0.590), indicating that those with a higher level of health literacy had a lower level of rumor acceptance.
Conclusion: Based on the findings of the present study, health literacy has a significant effect on reducing the credibility of rumors and other misinformation among community members. Macro-level decisions and policies are needed to improve factors such as health literacy and can help individuals identify and track rumors and make decisions based on reliable information on vaccination.
Batoul Khoundabi; Ahmad Soltani; Milad Ahmadi Marzaleh
Volume 23, Issue 6 , 2021
Abstract
Background: Given the fact that nurses are at the frontier of taking care of COVID-19 patients, they are directly or indirectly faced with many psychological problems.
Objectives: The present research used a systematic review approach to explore the psychological problems of nurses during the COVID-19 ...
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Background: Given the fact that nurses are at the frontier of taking care of COVID-19 patients, they are directly or indirectly faced with many psychological problems.
Objectives: The present research used a systematic review approach to explore the psychological problems of nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
Methods: This systematic review was conducted using PubMed, Cochran Library, Scopus, EMBASE, Science Direct, ProQuest, and Web of Science databases until May 21, 2020. These databases were searched using some keywords and the papers with a focus on the psychological problems of nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic were selected.
Results: Primarily, the academic papers were searched using their titles, abstracts, and full texts. In total, 10 articles were selected for the final analysis; nine of them were cross-sectional in type and one of them was qualitative and phenomenological. Moreover, seven studies were carried out in the Chinese context and were followed by other similar studies performed in Italy, Pakistan, India, and Singapore. Based on the findings, the most prevalent psychological problems were panic, anxiety, stress, sleep disorders, discomfort, depression, lack of self-control, overstimulation, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Conclusion: During the epidemic and pandemic of infectious diseases, such as COVID-19, a wide range of psychological problems arise among the healthcare staff, especially nurses. As nurses are at the frontier of taking care of and treating COVID-19 patients, they need to be fully supported. Healthcare policymakers should devise educational and psychological supporting protocols to improve the mental health of nurses.
Ahmad Soltani; Mahtab Aram; Farshid Alaeddini; Milad Ahmadi Marzaleh
Volume 23, Issue 4 , 2021
Abstract
Introduction: Arbaeen Pilgrimage is one of the worlds largest religious gatherings held in Iraq on the occasion of the 40th day of Imam Hussein martyrdom. The identification of the problems and challenges facing the Arbaeen Pilgrimage is of great help in holding this event safer in the future. The present ...
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Introduction: Arbaeen Pilgrimage is one of the worlds largest religious gatherings held in Iraq on the occasion of the 40th day of Imam Hussein martyrdom. The identification of the problems and challenges facing the Arbaeen Pilgrimage is of great help in holding this event safer in the future. The present study aimed to review the challenges of health services provided to pilgrims during the Arbaeen Pilgrimage in 2019.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed within one month after the end of this event. The statistical population comprised three million applicants registered by the Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization of Iran. Out of this population, 1,200 subjects who had participated in the event were selected using simple random sampling. The needed data were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire containing closed- and open-ended questions. Demographic characteristics, medical records, and subject comments were included in the questionnaire. The researchers contacted the participants and filled out the questionnaire.
Results: The mean age of participants was reported as 41.2±14.1 years, and the majority of them (65.7%) were male. The cold mostly caused the need for medical services. In total, 9.5% of the participants did not receive services, and 90.9% received them from the Iranian Red Crescent Society(IRCS). According to the results, 95.4% of those who received services from the IRCS and 82.4% of those who received services from other service providers were satisfied with medical services.
Conclusion: Iraqs health system is faced with numerous challenges during the Arbaeen Pilgrimage. These challenges are multiplied due to infrastructural shortcomings in Iraqs health system, the lack of precise planning, as well as attendees' unpreparedness and unawareness. To obtain pilgrims satisfaction and minimize the problems, the authorities of Iraqs health system should participate, synergize, and provide health equipment and facilities in cooperation with organizations from other countries participating in the Arbaeen Pilgrimage. Comprehensive multi-organizational planning and intra- and extra-organizational coordination before the Arbaeen Pilgrimage and training the pilgrims are two key factors that can help the better organization of this event.
Ahmad Soltani; Farshid Alaedini; Navvab Shamspour; Milad Ahmadi Marzaleh
Volume 23, Issue 1 , 2021
Abstract
Background: Iran is a disaster-prone country, which is subjected to various hazards, such as floods, earthquakes, fire, and traffic accidents.
Objectives: This study aimed to determine the priority and risk of various hazards threatening the public in different provinces of Iran in 2019.
Methods: This ...
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Background: Iran is a disaster-prone country, which is subjected to various hazards, such as floods, earthquakes, fire, and traffic accidents.
Objectives: This study aimed to determine the priority and risk of various hazards threatening the public in different provinces of Iran in 2019.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out from March to September 2019 using data related to 31 provinces of Iran. The assessment was conducted using hazard assessment tools presented by the Iranian Ministry of Health. A total of 70 natural, man-made, and complex hazards were analyzed in this study. The data were collected by holding sessions and conducting individual and group interviews with the officials of provincial Red Crescent Societies as well as reviewing the databases of the Red Crescent Society and the Disaster Management Organization. The participants consisted of operation analysis experts.
Results: In terms of the frequency of occurrence, earthquake (12: 38.7%), traffic accidents (7: 22.6%), and flood (6: 19.4%) obtained the highest priority in different provinces in descending order. Furthermore, regarding the total scores of hazards in all provinces, flood (78.6), earthquake (75.3), traffic accidents (71.9), drought (60.1), and building collapse (58.1) had the highest priority in descending order.
Conclusion: Given the extreme vulnerability of Iran to various disasters, authorities should develop strategic plans to reduce the risks associated with high-priority disasters. In addition, crisis and disaster management policymakers must develop separate detailed disaster response plans for each hazard in order to increase the preparedness at organizational and community levels. Public training can also raise awareness among the public and help people cope better with various hazards.
Mehdi Najafi; Hamidreza Khankeh; Ahmad Soltani; Golrokh Atighechian
Volume 22, Issue 12 , 2020
Abstract
Introduction: The preparedness of families for the disasters can set auspicious grounds for the preparedness of the whole society. In Iran health system, Household Disaster Preparedness Index (HDPI) that is composed of 15 items is applied for assessing the household preparedness in disasters. This study ...
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Introduction: The preparedness of families for the disasters can set auspicious grounds for the preparedness of the whole society. In Iran health system, Household Disaster Preparedness Index (HDPI) that is composed of 15 items is applied for assessing the household preparedness in disasters. This study was conducted to investigate the reliability and validity of this index.
Methods: In order to investigate the HDPI reliability, we two methods, namely internal consistency and stability determination, are. In order to investigate HDPI validity, we examined the face validity, content validity and construct validity. To do so, besides interviewing with the experts and family heads, 200 families were selected based on multistage cluster sampling method from amongst a study population that included the families in all the counties in Isfahan Province. Use has been made in content validity investigation of both qualitative and quantitative methods; and, in investigating the construct validity, exploratory factor analysis was the method of choice.
Results: The amount of HDPI internal consistency was calculated 0.786 which is in an acceptable range. HDPI stability, as well, was computed 0.98 using the test-retest method which is also in an optimal level. Therefore, it can be stated that HDPI enjoys the required reliability. Investigation of HDPI face validity indicated that the families have problems in perceiving some of the items of this index. The experts presented suggestions for improving the HDPI content validity following the qualitative investigation of the content validity. In the investigation of the content validity ratio (CVR), all the items, except the ones numbered 1, 3 and 4 were in an acceptable range; however, the investigation of the content validity index (CVI) indicated that only the validity of the items numbered 12 and 13 was acceptable in terms of all the three scales of relevancy, clarity and simplicity. To determine the construct validity, we used exploratory factor analysis to extract five factors (subscales), namely reduction of vulnerability, planning for disasters, family empowerment, procurement of resources for disasters and specialized programs. The internal consistency of these subscales indicated that only the internal consistencies of the first and the second factors were in an acceptable range.
Conclusion: The present study revealed that although HDPI was a reliable measure, it did not enjoy the required validity for assessing the household preparedness in disasters.
Gholamreza Poorheidari; Mahdi Mashhadi Akbar Boojar; Ahmad Soltani
Volume 22, Issue 8 , 2020
Abstract
Background: A conceptual model is always a suitable way to show the relationship between the different components of a process or among different processes. In the field of incident management, there are several models. However, there is almost no simple, natural, conceptual model to show the relationship ...
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Background: A conceptual model is always a suitable way to show the relationship between the different components of a process or among different processes. In the field of incident management, there are several models. However, there is almost no simple, natural, conceptual model to show the relationship between disaster risk management.
Methods: Because of the need for the development of a simple model that can quickly and at a glance relate the overall steps and components of the risk management process and various phases of disaster management, this model has been invented based on the evaluation of previous studies and reviewing current literature as well as refining the research and innovation done by the authors.
Results: In this article, a new model, which is called the Egg model, including the shell, the white (albumen) and the yellow (yolk) parts, is introduced. In which, risk management includes three steps. The first step is the assignment of a body, either a person, team or organization, as responsible (the resembling the shell). In the second step, the body does the assessment of the risk (resembling the white part). Risk assessment, on its own, includes risk identification, risk analysis, and risk evaluation. Finally, (resembling the yellow part), treatment of the risk(s) is begun which includes, prevention and mitigation, and preparedness before the disaster and, response and recovery after the disaster occurrence. Obviously, without an intact shell, the whole egg (albumen and yolk) will decay and all resources will be lost. Also without assessment of the risks, proper and effective management of the disaster is almost impossible. The third step of the risk management, the risk treatment, is in fact the disaster management.
Conclusion: This simple model shows the relationship between risk management and risk treatment. Although this model may have oversimplified the process of Risk Management, it helps to create a unique overview and understanding for almost everyone
