Journal of Education and Health Promotion 2277-9531 12 9 2022 10 01 Participation’ goals of Community‑ based organizations in the COVID‑19 pandemic based on capacity gaps: A cross‑sectional study 1 9 29552 EN . Fatemeh Rezaei . Mahmoud Keyvanara Department of Healthcare Management, Faculty of Management and Medical Informatics, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran . Mohammad H Yarmohammadian Department of Health in Disasters and Emergencies, Health Management and Economics Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran Journal Article 2023 03 11 BACKGROUND: There have been criticisms that local authorities develop disaster planning<br />independently, which led to less sensitiveness and responsibility of community‑based<br />organizations (CBOs). Disasters planning should incorporate into CBOs’ management processes.<br />This study aims to set goals of a community‑based plan based on preparedness capacities that<br />CBOs need to have in the COVID‑19 pandemic.<br />MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross‑sectional study used a prevalidated and reliable<br />questionnaire assessing (CBOs). The tool assesses preparedness in the field of planning, training,<br />and infrastructure. Forty CBOs met the inclusion criteria as assisting or cooperating agencies during<br />the COVID‑19 pandemic. Then, key informants, who simultaneously have been working in the health<br />system and CBOs, prioritized low‑scale items that have shown capacity gaps according to effects<br />on the vulnerable group, sustainability, and capability of the health system. Descriptive statistics<br />performed using SPSS18 software (SPSS Inc., Chicago, USA).<br />RESULTS: The results showed that the preparedness of CBOs was weak in the field of planning,<br />training, and infrastructure. Besides, overlaps of CBOs’ resources and covering the clients’ medical<br />needs in the COVID‑19 pandemic were the most priority that needs to be intervened.<br />CONCLUSION: Providing medical needs by CBOs require legal legitimacy assigned by health<br />authority, especially in epidemic‑prone diseases. In addition, assigning a coordinator to set a priority<br />list and mutual agreements authoried by health departments can solve the problem of overlapped<br />resources. Therefore, functional roles of CBOs in the pandemic should focus mostly on resource<br />allocation and the medical needs of clients to set goals and functional objectives.<br /><br /> https://jehp.mui.ac.ir/article_29552_407c81ae411f5e0a5c4a5b62c0ca9770.pdf