Strategies to Overcome Hospital Surge Capacity in Disasters and its Related Factors; a Systematic Review

Since providing health care services to victims of disasters is the main role of hospitals, finding solutions to overcome surge capacity is always considered by the hospital administrators. Therefore, the current study aimed at finding strategies to overcome hospitals surge capacity in disasters and its related factors.
The current systematic review was performed in 5 phases. In the first phase, appropriate keywords were selected and the search strategy was determined. Second, internal and external databases were searched. Third, of the obtained literature, those related to the study objectives and met the inclusion criteria were selected. A total of 17 papers were selected and the relevant data were extracted from them. Fourth and fifth, the keywords were extracted out of the papers and then, interpreted and compared in tables.
The identified strategies and factors were categorized in five areas. In the area of manpower, most studies addressed the absence of healthcare staff from work during the hospital overcapacity in disasters. Two main strategies suggested to cope with hospital overcapacity were cancelling elective admissions and early discharge of patients. In the area of medications/equipment, some items such as basic supportive medications and oxygen were considered as essentials for hospital surge capacity. Controlling commutes to the hospital, separating the spaces, and allocation of tasks among staff ere the main structural and strategic suggestions to overcome hospitals overcapacity.
Application of the strategies identified in the current review can help authorities to better overcome hospitals overcapacity in disasters.