Effects Hospital Incident Command System Establishment on Disaster Preparedness of Tehran Hospitals Affiliated to Law Enforcement Staff Under Simulated Conditions

Background: Hospitals as the essential health service providers should manage their performance during incidents and disasters. The Hospital Incident Command System (HICS) is helpful in this regard. The establishment of this system assists the hospital disaster risk management committee to get prepared in emergency situations. This study aimed to assess the effect of HICS establishment on preparedness of Police Hospitals in Tehran, Iran during disasters, under simulated conditions. Materials and Methods: This was a quasi-experimental interventional study. The study participants were 55 managers of Imam Sajjad and Vali Asr hospitals in Tehran selected by census method (23 from Imam Sajjad Hospital as the control group, and 32 from Vali Asr Hospital as the experimental group). The preparedness of hospitals was measured before the intervention using Hospital Preparedness Scale (HPS) designed by Khankeh (2012). After establishment of HICS in Vali Asr Hospital, the hospital managers received a 3-day training through incident scenario. After one month, their preparedness was measured again by HPS instrument. The collected data were analyzed in SPSS (Version 18) using descriptive statistics, Independent t test and Chi-square test. Results: Establishment of HICS significantly increased preparedness of hospitals in communications, continuity of vital services, manpower, and procurement and logistics areas. Conclusion: Establishment of HICS can improve the hospitals’ preparedness at times of disasters in many aspects. It is suggested that similar studies be conducted in private and public hospitals with longer follow-up time.