Hospital Safety Index analysis in confronting disasters: A case study

Hospitals have an important role in order to maintain and improve health and to function without interruption in emergency situations. Hospital Safety Index is one of the indicators that can help to determine the efficiency of hospitals in disasters situations. This study was done in order to assess the safety of one of the referral hospitals related to Social Security Organization in disasters in Tehran. In this applied study, a referral hospital in Tehran city was studied based on structural, nonstructural and functional factors by using WHO/PAHO standard checklist. According to the results, the final Safety Index score placed this hospital into C category of three categories of safety. It means that the lives and safety of occupants of this hospital deemed at risk during disasters. The Hospital Safety Index helps authorities to quickly determine where interventions can improve safety. The safety index is not only a tool for making technical assessments, but it provides a new approach to disaster prevention and mitigation for the health sector. Calculating the safety score allows hospital to establish maintenance and monitoring routines and look at actions to improve safety in the medium term. This quick overview will give decision makers a starting point for establishing priorities and reducing risk and vulnerability in healthcare facilities.