Explaining the components and dimensions of emergency department preparedness in military hospitals against urban unrest

Background and Aim: Emergency department (ED) in military hospitals due to its nature is one of the most critical healthcare centers for injured people at urban unrest. The aim of this study was an exploration of dimensions and components of ED preparedness in military hospitals for urban unrest. Methods: This was a qualitative and content analysis study. The study population was the physicians, nurses, emergency managers of military hospitals with at least 15 years of work experience. Sampling was initially targeted with semi-structured interviews and continued with the snowball method until reaching the saturation (10 participants). Interviews were conducted between October 2018 and February 2018. Findings and conceptual model of the research approved by the experts for validation and reliability. Data analysis performed by MAXQDA10 software. Results: With the implementation of interviews, the 659 code recognized. After deleting the overlaps, 128 codes were obtained. In the next step, the extracted codes were classified into 7 dimensions (themes) and 31 components (sub-themes). The seven dimensions of preparedness included command and control, human resources plan, resource management, communications, protection and security, treatment and increasing capacity, respectively. Finally, the conceptual framework of military hospitals emergency preparedness for urban unrest retrieved and approved by the expert's opinion. Conclusion: According to the conceptual model of the study, which consisted of 7 main dimensions (themes), the components of emergency preparedness were almost identical in most crises but differed in importance and prioritization. In the emergency preparedness model of military hospitals in urban unrest, there is a significant difference in terms of protection and security which, if weak, will have a significant impact on other aspects of preparedness. Since people's views and opinions aligned with military personnel in natural disasters, there are no significant challenges in terms of protection and security, conversely, in urban unrest, especially if it is accompanied by political issues, due to divergent opinions and other influential factors, there will be irreparable threats to the injured, staff, health centers, and continuing urban unrest.