Nonstructural Safety of Hospitals for Disasters: A Comparison Between Two Capital Cities

Hospitals are expected to function as a safe environment during disasters, but many become unusable because of nonstructural damage. This study compares the nonstructural safety of hospitals to disasters in Tehran and Stockholm. Hospital safety in Tehran and Stockholm was assessed between September...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Disaster medicine and public health preparedness 2014-04, Vol.8 (2), p.179-184
Main Authors: Djalali, Ahmadreza, Ardalan, Ali, Ohlen, Gunnar, Ingrassia, Pier Luigi, Corte, Francesco Della, Castren, Maaret, Kurland, Lisa
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Air conditioning
Architectural elements
Biological and medical sciences
Concepts in Disaster Medicine
Cooperation
Disasters
Emergency preparedness
General aspects
Health facilities
Hospitals
Medical equipment
Medical sciences
Medicin och hälsovetenskap
Patient safety
Planification. Prevention (methods). Intervention. Evaluation
Public health
Public health. Hygiene
Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine
Safety
Self evaluation
Telecommunications systems
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Summary:Hospitals are expected to function as a safe environment during disasters, but many become unusable because of nonstructural damage. This study compares the nonstructural safety of hospitals to disasters in Tehran and Stockholm. Hospital safety in Tehran and Stockholm was assessed between September 24, 2012, and April 5, 2013, with use of the nonstructural module of the hospital safety index from the World Health Organization. Hospital safety was categorized as safe, at risk, or inadequate. All 4 hospitals in Stockholm were classified as safe, while 2 hospitals in Tehran were at risk and 3 were safe. The mean nonstructural safety index was 90% ± 2.4 SD for the hospitals in Stockholm and 64% ± 17.4 SD for those in Tehran (P = .014). The level of hospital safety, with respect to disasters, was not related to local vulnerability. Future studies on hospital safety should assess other factors such as legal and financial issues. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2014;0:1-6).
ISSN:1935-7893
1938-744X
1938-744X
DOI:10.1017/dmp.2014.21