Validation of Hospital Disaster Risk Management Evaluation Questionnaire

An accurate evaluation of hospitals' performance in dealing with disasters can be a major role in improving hospital preparedness. The Hospital Disaster Risk Management Evaluation (HDRME) Model was developed and approved in 2018 using international models and the opinion of experts. This research was conducted with the aim of validating a questionnaire for evaluating disaster risk management in hospitals based on the standards and measures of this model.

In this validation study, a questionnaire based on the HDRME Model including 200 measures in 8 domains (management and leadership, risk assessment, planning, prevention and mitigation, preparedness, response, recovery, and key performance results) was designed. The face validity and content validity were verified both qualitatively and quantitatively (using experts’ opinions, CVR, and CVI). The reliability of the questionnaire was evaluated by Cronbach's alpha method and Inter class correlation coefficient (ICC). The questionnaires were completed by two surveyors separately and independently in 30 hospitals at Tehran University of Medical Sciences, and the results were compared and analyzed.

The face validity and content validity of the questionnaire were approved by experts. The results showed that Cronbach's alpha and Inter class correlation coefficient (ICC) was 0.99, which showed that the questionnaire had good reliability. The average score of the hospitals from the questionnaire was 36%. The highest score was related to the domain of prevention/mitigation (51/22) and risk assessment (44/81), and the lowest score was related to the domain of planning (24/75) and recovery (26/97).

The questionnaire designed from the disaster risk management evaluation model has good validity and reliability and could be used as a valid questionnaire to evaluate this issue in the country's hospitals.