assessment of preparedness and response of teaching hospitals of isfahan, iran, to chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear incidents

introduction: hospitals are often considered to be the forefront of countering incidents, some of which result from a wide range of incidents including industrial accidents, natural outbreaks of disease, and regional accidents called chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (cbrn) accidents. this study was conducted to assess the level of preparedness, capacity, and capability of responding to cbrn incidents in teaching hospitals of isfahan, iran. methods: this descriptive study was conducted in 2013-2014. the statistical population consisted of 43 managers, matrons, educational supervisors, emergency supervisors, and head-nurses in teaching hospitals (12 hospitals) of isfahan. the participants were selected through census sampling. the data collection tool was a checklist translated by the researcher and its content validity was verified by facts and concepts provided in valid sources and by university professors and experts. results: except hospital a, which had a specialized emergency room for cbrn accidents, no other hospital was prepared to deal with cbrn incidents. using the checklist, hospital a obtained the a good score in terms of preparedness and planning, employing decontamination team, warm decontamination zone, warm decontamination system, decontamination triage, and patient decontamination. it obtained a relatively good score in terms of security and access control, and medical monitoring of staff. it also acquired an average score in in hazard declaration and recovery. however, it did not obtain a good score in training and exercise, and personal protective equipment. conclusion: none of the studied hospitals had the necessary capacity and capability to counter cbrn incidents. the emergency ward of hospital a, however, was assessed to perform well in terms of preparedness and response (score: 67%).