Earthquake Preparedness in Iranian Hospitals: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

OBJECTIVE: To assess the preparedness of Iranian hospitals against earthquake. METHODS: In this systematic review, a query was carried out on PubMed, Scopus, Web of Sciences, Sid, Irandoc, Google scholar, and Magiran databases for articles published between 2000-2019. Statistical analysis was performed using Chi-square and I2 tests at a confidence interval of 95%. Finally, out of 7458 studies, 10 related articles were analyzed. RESULTS: As evidenced by the obtained results, the highest readiness was obtained at 0.709 (95% CI: 0.49-0.88) in “disaster plan”, while the lowest readiness was reported at 0.455 (95% CI: 0.23-0.68) in “structural safety”. The overall earthquake preparedness of these hospitals was calculated at 0.47 (95% CI: 0.37-0.56). CONCLUSION: The results of the present study pointed to the moderate level of earthquake preparedness in Iranian hospitals. This finding highlights the necessity of a training plan and implementation of a national program in all hospitals of the country to increase earthquake preparedness.