Criteria and components of the emergency and disaster database in Iran: A content analysis study

Sadegh Ahmadi Mazhin; Mehrdad Farrokhi; Mehdi Noroozi; Juliet Roudini; Seyed Ali Hosseini; Mohammad Esmaeil Motlagh; Pirhossein Kolivand; Hamidreza Khankeh

doi:10.4103/jehp.jehp_93_21

Criteria and components of the emergency and disaster database in Iran: A content analysis study

J Educ Health Promot. 2021 Nov 30:10:407. doi: 10.4103/jehp.jehp_93_21. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Sadegh Ahmadi Mazhin^{1

2}, Mehrdad Farrokhi¹, Mehdi Noroozi³, Juliet Roudini¹, Seyed Ali Hosseini³, Mohammad Esmaeil Motlagh⁴, Pirhossein Kolivand⁵, Hamidreza Khankeh^{1

6}

Affiliations

¹ Health in Emergency and Disaster Research Center, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
² Department of Nursing, School of Nursing and Emergency, Dezful University of Medical Sciences, Dezful, Iran.
³ Social Determinants of Health Research Center, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
⁴ Department of Pediatrics, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran.
⁵ Shefa Neuroscience Research Center, Khatamol Anbia Hospital, Tehran, Iran.
⁶ Department of Clinical Science and Education, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.

Abstract

Background: Nowadays, emergencies and disasters are considered one of the biggest problems in human life. To reduce the risk of emergencies and disasters, governments must develop strategies and policies using evidence-based methods. Disaster databases are the main source and tool for storing and managing a wide range of data in this field. This study was conducted with the aim of exploring the necessary criteria and components of the emergency and disasters database in Iran.

Martials and methods: This qualitative study was performed using content analysis in which 18 managers and experts with experience in registering, documenting, or responding to emergencies and disasters were selected through purposive sampling. Data collection was done using semi-structured interviews that continued until saturation. Data were analyzed by means of qualitative content analysis recommended by Landman and Graneheim.

Results: In total, three main concepts concerning the necessary criteria and components of the database of natural and artificial emergencies and disasters in Iran were explored. The main concepts include information resources, information evaluation, and information management. Subconcepts include data collection, information transfer, access to information, information validation, disaster leveling, information registering, information storage and retrieval, information analysis, and information dissemination.

Conclusion: The experience of the participants showed that there are many challenges in the field of monitoring and gathering information about injuries and damages caused by emergencies and disasters in the country. The knowledge obtained from this study can be used to create and develop a database of emergencies and disasters in Iran. It will also provide insights for healthcare policymakers and managers in future planning areas to more effectively address identified challenges in preventing and responding to disasters at both regional and national levels.

Keywords: Data management; database; disasters; emergencies; mass casualty incidents; natural disasters.