Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1 Health Management and Economics Research Center, School of Health Management and Information Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Department of Health Services Management, School of Health Management and Information Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences,
2 Health in Emergency and Disaster Research Center, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran, Department of Clinical Science and Education, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Disasters are inescapable phenomena. Once they occur, reliable and objective
information becomes vital in sound decision‑making to respond. Emergency health evaluation of
affected population can be used to gather information about the patterns of access to medical care,
basic household needs, and other health needs. The objective of this review was to summarize
evidence from scientific studies on the various methods of emergency health evaluation following
disasters.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: A comprehensive list of studies was provided in May 2017 by an
extensive search using PubMed, Web of Sciences, Ovid Medline, ProQuest Research Library, and
World Health Organization Library.
RESULTS: Of the 1592 retrieved articles, 21 articles were included in this review. In a majority of the
studies (n = 18), a questionnaire was used and an interview was conducted to collect information,
but in three studies, smartphone‑based methods were used. Sampling method in most of the studies
was cluster sampling in Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response method. But
in eight studies, random sampling method was used. In a majority of the studies, the demographic
status of samples and in 18 studies, the condition of diseases, water, shelters, health, food, mortality
rate, and existing medical services were investigated.
CONCLUSIONS: Although new methods such as social media and smartphones were already
investigated in some articles, but these approaches require further investigation since there is a
growing need for new methods.
Keywords
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