Scientific Journal of Rescue Relief
Volume:15 Issue: 2, Summer 2023

Lack of a comprehensive classification of crisis and emergency management in Helal houses has caused many losses in the Red Crescent Society of Iran. Therefore, the root of these problems can be identified and investigated with a thorough investigation.

This applied research was conducted using a hybrid design. In this research, field and library methods were used. The data were collected by using questionnaire and conducting in-depth interviews with managers, specialists, and experts of the country's crisis management organization and professionals until theoretical saturation. In the first stage, 24 interviews were conducted and we reached theoretical saturation in the 20th interview. In the second stage, relying on inferential statistics methods, 422 questionnaires were distributed. The statistical population of the research is the Red Crescent Society of Iran and its time domain is the second half of 2022.

After performing the three stages of open, central, and selective coding, the final research model was obtained in which, 6 general categories, 15 subcategories, and 49 main concepts are mentioned.

The results demonstrated that the categories of human resources, organizational communication, and government policies are among the effective factors on crisis management in Helal houses in the Iranian Red Crescent Society in the critical condition of Covid-19 and the consequences of these categories have a significant impact. There are other problems and crises in the formation.

Considering the significant contribution of public education to the reduction of damages incurred by disasters and crises in the country, the identification of all the components and dimensions of public education can be of great help to policymakers in this field in order to adopt a correct policy and decision. The current research aimed to investigate public education in natural disasters with the meta-synthesis method based on the seven-step model of Sandelowski and Barroso (2007).

The current qualitative research was conducted based on a meta-synthesis approach. The statistical population of the research included articles related to the research keywords from 2000 until now. A number of 175 articles were retrieved, and after examining the title of the research, 105 articles were removed, and 70 papers were reviewed, out of which 36 papers were removed, and 34 articles entered the final stage for full analysis. Articles were searched in databases, such as Scopus, Emerald, Science Direct, Springer, Google Scholar, and Scientific Information Database (SID).

The selected sources were analyzed using Maxqda software, and the research findings were coded. In the open coding stage, 100 primary codes were extracted from 34 articles, and after extracting the primary codes, to categorize the concepts, axial coding was used, yielding 5 dimensions, 12 components, and their sub-components.

As evidenced by the obtained results, to reduce vulnerability, the responsible institutions can adopt appropriate measures that lead to learning and changes in the audience's behavior by using the presented model and considering the determined components and indicators in the process of public education. This model includes the stages of analysis, educational design, preparation and development, implementation, and evaluation.

The achievement of organizational goals depends on the ability of employees to perform the assigned tasks and adapt to the changing environment. The implementation of training and improvement of human resources allow people to effectively continue their activities and increase their efficiency in accordance with organizational and environmental changes. The present study aimed to assess the impact of information and communication technology on self-directed learning among Employees at the Red Crescent Society of Tehran.

This research was applied-descriptive and survey-type. The statistical population of the current research included all 1800 employees at the Red Crescent Society of Tehran. Based on Cochran's formula, 317 subjects were selected by simple random sampling and answered the questionnaires. To check the variables of the research, a 73-item questionnaire was used, which assesses the two variables of information and communication technology and self-directed learning. The validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by experts' opinions, and its reliability was assessed by Cronbach's alpha method. Research hypotheses were tested by structural equation modeling using LISREL software. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to measure the indicators of the questionnaire, and the model of path coefficients and significant coefficients was applied to examine the hypotheses.

The results of the analyses demonstrated that information and communication technology and each dimension of using computers, media (radio and television), the Internet, educational software, and mobile phones had a significant positive effect on self-control, willingness to learn, and self-management among the employees at Red Crescent Society of Tehran.

In every organization, the management must make sure that the employees recognize the importance of learning since it is a key factor in the success of the organization. It is necessary for the management of every organization to remove mental models and old beliefs and, considering the role of information technology in learning and creating transformations in learning methods, provide the grounds for its application among employees.

An earthquake is a major natural disaster with widespread and great effects on human life and nature. Taking care of the basic needs of earthquake victims is an essential step that should be addressed immediately. Moreover, the evaluation of various problems after disasters, especially earthquakes, is of crucial importance for the affected people. The management of humanitarian aid and public assistance among these affected people is considered one of the most important post-earthquake concerns. Therefore, the present study was conducted to evaluate the post-earthquake challenges and strengths of providing humanitarian aid services in Sisakht, Yasuj, in February 2019.

This qualitative case study was conducted from March 2019 to July 2020. The studied population consisted of 20 participants including medical staff (n=10), clergy (n=2), crisis managers (n=4), and military personnel (n=4). The required data were collected through observation and semi-structured interviews, which continued until data saturation. To evaluate the reliability of the data, the strategies recommended by Guba were used. The data were analyzed by conventional content analysis based on the method proposed by Graneheim and Lundman.

The advantages and strengths of this study included humanitarian cooperation and coordination, as well as the timely presence of relief and rescue teams and law enforcement agencies from the post-earthquake first hours, which had a great impact on reducing the suffering of people. The challenges in providing post-earthquake services included health, medical, management, geographical, and spatial concerns and issues related to the earthquake victims (relief goods distribution problem and inappropriate information dissemination as the main challenges).

Effective and appropriate management policies regarding the management of providing post-earthquake services and elimination of the structural and managerial obstacles can improve the operation and management of humanitarian aid.

Improving the social capital of the Red Crescent Society can play an effective role in crisis management also control and increase productivity in responding to incidents. This research aimed to explain the role of mass and social media in the development of the social capital of the Iranian Red Crescent Society.

This practical research was conducted using a mixture of qualitative and quantitative research methods. The statistical population of the research in the qualitative part included 21 executive managers and pundits, who were selected using a purposeful and snowball sampling method. In the quantitative part, a total of 2,815 volunteer members of the Red Crescent Society formed the population, who were chosen by stratified random sampling method. The statistical data of the qualitative part were collected by holding semi-structured interviews, while those of the quantitative part were gathered using a questionnaire having content validity as well as the study of organizational documents. Data analysis in the qualitative part was performed through the thematic analysis method and in the quantitative part through the frequency and comparison of statistical data.

The findings showed that the effective role of the media should not be neglected. It was revealed that mass and social media played a role in the development of the social capital of the Red Crescent Society through three important components, namely news and information, mass education, and accreditation.

According to the results of the current research, the Red Crescent Society can boost the productivity and effectiveness of humanitarian and public benefits programs and activities by understanding the very effective role of communication media and improving the level of cooperation and altruism culture in society with the help of mass media members, activists, and celebrities of social networks.

After the approval of the country's crisis management law, the upstream documents related to this law, including the preparedness and response programs at the national and provincial levels, are among the tasks assigned to increase the efficiency of the crisis management processes.

This study presents a general framework for developing a provincial crisis response program. The proposed process has been used to develop the crisis response program of Hamadan province. In the phase of understanding the current situation, questionnaires and in-depth interviews were used to collect field data and determine the challenges presented to crisis management in Hamadan province. Moreover, a method for allocating the specialized functions of the response phase to the provincial organizations has been presented using the national crisis documents.

In general, the findings of this research can be assigned to three groups. The first group pertained to the project method, including the stages of understanding the current situation and developing the response program of the provinces. The second group of findings was the summary of the analysis of field data collected regarding the state of preparedness and response in Hamadan province. The third group encompassed determining and allocating specialized crisis response functions in Hamadan province. The functions of the provinces (n=32) and after their compliance with the national functions, the crisis management law, and the capabilities of the existing organization in the province, 56 specialized sub-functions were identified in the provinces, and the responsible, collaborating, and supporting institutions were determined.

As evidenced by the obtained results, in the process of function allocation, some problems have been identified due to the shortage of information in the upstream documents, which are suggested to the crisis management organization for better planning.

Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) provide medical care to critically ill patients and the injured immediately and provide faster treatment, thereby reducing the length of hospitalization. This study aimed to identify the policy implications of HEMS in Isfahan province.

This qualitative study was conducted using the thematic analysis method. The study population included the managers, personnel, and flight crews of Isfahan HEMS. The participants were selected using the purposive sampling method, followed by the snowball method. Initially, 14 individuals from the HEMS personnel were interviewed using the interview guide form, and then, the opinions of 15 participants from the flight crews were collected through an open questionnaire. Maxqda10 software was used for data coding.

The research findings were classified into challenges, opportunities, and implications. In terms of challenges, 11 themes and 34 categories were identified in this study.  HEMS opportunities were also divided into 8 themes and 11 categories. The policy implications provided by the participants were also categorized into 8 themes and 28 categories.

Considering that one of the most important known challenges was the lack of specialized helicopters and medicopters, according to the results, it is suggested that the managers of Isfahan HEMS take measures to solve the existing challenges and develop plans to strengthen the capacities and utilize the opportunities.

Identifying and classifying hospital suppliers and choosing the right hospital supplier are based on some criteria, such as price, quality, timely product delivery, and after-sales service.

The research method was to select a suitable supplier through multi-criteria decision-making methods, including fuzzy TOPSIS and fuzzy Delphi. This research analyzed the selection criteria of hospital suppliers using fuzzy TOPSIS and fuzzy Delphi methods. The weight of the selected criteria and their importance were determined by holding interviews with hospital experts. In the next stage, the suppliers were evaluated, and finally, they were ranked using the TOPSIS fuzzy method.

In this research, the criteria for selecting suppliers were based on the criteria determined by Dickson. According to the fuzzy Delphi method, 7 criteria of product quality, timely delivery, final product price, after-sales service, technical ability, product position among competitors, and easy-to-use product were selected for supplier evaluation.

The selection of a reliable supplier is becoming increasingly crucial given the critical role played by the healthcare sector, which includes hospitals and the Red Crescent as its constituents, the expanding development of technology, and the growing variety of medical equipment. According to the results obtained by the fuzzy Delphi method, the criterion of product quality with a score of 0.88 was chosen as the most important criterion, while the ease-to-use product index with a score of 0.7 was chosen as the least important criterion. The selection and evaluation of suppliers were accomplished through several different quantitative and qualitative indicators, such as cost, quality, timely delivery, and after-sales service. As a result, companies must choose key indicators and suitable suppliers because the right supplier leads to a reduction in purchase costs, as well as an increase in the quality of the products and ultimately the success of the organization in reaching its goals.