Disaster preparedness in emergency medical service agencies: A systematic review
نویسندگان
1 Health in Emergency and Disaster Research Center, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran
2 Behavioral Sciences Research Center, Life Style Institute, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, Nursing Faculty, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Scienses, Tehran, Iran
3 Health in Emergency and Disaster Research Center, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Department of Clinical Science and Education, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
4 Health in Emergency and Disaster Research Center, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran
5 Health in Emergency and Disaster Research Center, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Emergency Management Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
doi
چکیده
The Emergency Medical Services (EMSs) are in the frontline between the health-care systems andpeople in emergencies and disasters. With the increase in the frequency of natural or man-madedisasters around the world, the need for prepared EMS services is increasing. This study aimed toevaluate the current disaster preparedness status of the EMS agencies in the literature and exploringthe key preparedness elements and the strategies to improve the EMS disaster preparedness. Theelectronic database such as PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar was searchedfrom 2000 to 2019. The searching keywords included: “EMS,” “Disaster,” “Preparedness,” “Emergency”“Preparedness,” “Disaster Preparedness,” “Readiness,” and the terms related to “disaster types” wereused in combination with Boolean operators OR and AND. Out of 1412 articles, 7 articles wereincluded in the review. The most important elements of the EMS disaster preparedness include thesize and scope of the incident, surge capacity, planning, communication, training and education,policymaking, financial support, coordination, safety and security, early warning system, disasterresponse experience, and legal considerations. This systematic review showed that the EMS agenciesin the world generally are inadequately prepared for an effective response to major emergencies anddisasters. This study provides valuable information to EMS educators, EMS administrators to adoptand perform appropriate activities to improve the EMS disaster preparedness.
