Challenges of helicopter emergency medical service: A qualitative content analysis in Iranian context

BACKGROUNDS: Due to the severity of the earthquake, it may need immediate treatment and transfer of the injured people to advanced medical centers, as well as dispatch of the expert team and specialized health equipment to the accident-affected area. Aerial emergency is an important responsibility of the health care system in this situation. The study aimed to extract the prehospital emergency challenges of Iran aerial operations emergency in response to the earthquake. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was qualitative content analysis with conventional approach. Sampling was done in a purposive method and data were collected through semi-structured interview. The panel involved consists of 26 health professionals in medical emergencies. Recorded interviews were transcribed into written and then conventional content analysis was used to derive coding categories directly from the text data. RESULTS: Content analysis is provided 97 initial codes, 20 subcategories and 4 main categories including challenges of “response assessment,” “support,” “pre-hospital staff-management,” and “response operation,” respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The results showed that the necessity to assess the affected area, staffing, and management actions, including integrated operations command and the development of a dedicated response plan, as well as the use of strategies inter-organizational coordination in the response phase to earthquake. This study also emphasized that providing standard equipment, support actions, and strengthening communication infrastructure, and updating the aerial emergency system should be considered as one of the priorities of the emergency organization of Iran to provide a desired response to the earthquake.

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Challenges of prehospital aerial operations in response to earthquake hazards: A qualitative study

Memarzadeh

Mousavi

Khankeh

et al. 2022

“…recommended to formulate triage criteria for the use of air ambulances with regard to the discussion of safety and cost of using air ambulances. [ 19 ]…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors affecting development of air ambulance base: A systematic review and thematic analysis

Eskandari

Ghomian

Sohrabizadeh

et al. 2021

Nowadays, air ambulances have been developed as part of advanced emergency medicine services with many countries employing these services for transferring patients in usual and emergency conditions. However, there are challenges concerning the optimal development of air ambulance base. The present research aimed to identify factors affecting the development of air ambulance bases to provide the opportunity of planning to improve the quality of emergency medical services. In this systematic literature review, the peer-reviewed papers in fiv electronic databases, including Medline through PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and ProQuest, as well as available gray literature, were searched and selected. Two combinations of groups were used as keywords: the Health Planning and development factor, air ambulance base. The focus was on the PRISMA checklist, with no time limitations until from 1990 to January 2020. Finally, through 5156 related citations, 20 articles were included. Descriptive and thematic content analyses were evaluated. The factors affecting the development of the air ambulance base were classified in fiv categories and 14 subcategories as follows: navigation criteria, process indications and standards, sociopolitical factors, and current situation of the area. There are few studies on factors affecting the development of air ambulance bases. It is necessary to apply multidimensional models to consider various factors for development. The development of high populated cities, events and ceremonies with a crowd of participants, and increase of human-made disasters are making these services increasingly indispensable.

“…Formulation of national standards and regulations is recommended to address safety concerns and reduce the high cost of the program. [ 41 ]…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A critical analysis of Iran health system reform plan

Kalroozi

Mohammadi

Farahani

et al. 2020

INTRODUCTION: Iran's Health System Reform Plan (HSRP) were initiated in public and hospitals affiliated to Medical Sciences Universities in June 2015. The purpose of the present paper is to provide a critical analyse of the HSRP and its outcomes. METHODS: The study was carried out as a review critical analyse in 2019. The pertinent articles were searched for in Science Direct, PubMed, Ovid, and Google Scholar using keywords “health sector,” “reform plan,” “health system reform,” “health services,” “health care system,” and “Iran.” Published articles in scientific national and international journals in Persian and English language, of which the full-texts were available, were entered into the study. Finally, from a total of 75 articles obtained, 45 studies were carefully reviewed. RESULTS: Several factors, which impact in the success of Iran's HSRP such as social-economic and political outlooks, lack of official information and a comprehensive management system, in addition to failure to extend continuous performance control, economic sanctions against Iran. Other factors are limitations on financial transactions between Iran and the rest of the world due to the sanctions, relying merely on a few instructions, and negligence of the required infrastructures. In terms of advantages of the plan, relative decrease in patient's share in medical expenses, improvement of emergency wards, and relative decrease in the rate of C-section operations are notable. CONCLUSION: Better implementation of Iran's HSRP entails the provision of resources and facilities such as stable and adequate resources, proper management of available resources, payment mechanisms reform, attracting, and facilitating private sector's participation.