Assessing Hospital Safety Index in the Iranian Hospitals

Hospital preparedness for accidents and disasters is vital in maintaining and promoting community health. However, the country’s hospitals are not well prepared for disasters. The hospital safety index (HSI) was 42% in Iranian hospitals in 2014. This study aims to investigate the HSI in Iranian hospitals in 2020 and to provide solutions to improve it.

This cross-sectional descriptive study was performed for the country’s hospitals. The results recorded in the Farsi version of the hospital safety index (FHSI) software in 2020 were used. Hospital teams used the FHSI checklist (151 options) in three areas of structural, non-structural, and functional safety to assess the hospital and register in the FHSI system. The registered results of the hospitals were collected based on the medical universities of the country. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data.

A total of 604 hospitals registered safety index information in the system. The mean score of the HSI of the country’s hospitals was 60.84. A total of 130 hospitals (21.5%) had low safety levels, 418 hospitals (69%) had moderate safety levels, and 56 hospitals (9.2%) had high safety levels against disasters. The mean scores were in structural safety (57.20), non-structural (65.24), and functional safety (63.36). Hamedan (76.81) and Kerman (75.61) Provinces had the highest score, and Yazd (53.74), and Lorestan (57.31) Provinces had the lowest score in the country.

The HSI against disasters in 2020 compared to 2014 has reached 6 out of 10 and we have about a 41.5% increase in safety (from 43 to 60.84). However, the HSI is moderate. Strengthening the safety and resilience of hospitals, improving the safety of medical equipment, improving the knowledge and skills of managers in the scientific development of preparedness, response and recovery programs, funding and support of crisis programs, attention to security programs, pollution, and evacuation are among the solutions of development and enhancement of hospital preparedness against disasters.