Preparedness for Dealing with Disasters and Its Relationship with Information-Communication Systems in Hospitals of Tehran University of Medical Sciences

Background Aims of the Study: Hospital preparedness is essential in responding to disasters, and the role of communication and information systems as one of the main components of preparedness is essential. Therefore, this study was conducted to assess the preparedness of hospitals in the face of disasters and investigate the status of communication and information systems and the relationship between them. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study was performed in 12 hospitals available at Tehran University of Medical Sciences in 2019. In order to collect information, direct observation, talking, and finally completing two checklists were used: 1) assessment of preparedness for emergencies and 2) evaluation of information and communication systems. Expert professors confirmed their validity and reliability during the test-retest method. SPSS v. 24 software, descriptive statistics, and Pearson correlation coefficient were used to analyze the data. Results: The overall preparedness status for dealing with disasters and communication-information systems was assessed at a moderate level. Also, there was a statistically significant direct relationship between the scores of preparedness areas and the scores of communication-information systems of these hospitals (P≤0/05). Conclusion: The moderate preparedness status of the hospitals in this study was not acceptable due to national and sometimes international expectations. Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to the overall preparedness and strengthen the technical infrastructure of communication-information systems in a multi-layered way and develop the culture of using these systems in the face of unexpected events.