Journal of Education and Health Promotion

Participation’ goals of Community‑ based organizations in the COVID‑19 pandemic based on capacity gaps: A cross‑sectional study

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

. Fatemeh Rezaei
. Mahmoud Keyvanara 1
. Mohammad H Yarmohammadian 2

1 Department of Healthcare Management, Faculty of Management and Medical Informatics, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

2 Department of Health in Disasters and Emergencies, Health Management and Economics Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

Abstract
BACKGROUND: There have been criticisms that local authorities develop disaster planning
independently, which led to less sensitiveness and responsibility of community‑based
organizations (CBOs). Disasters planning should incorporate into CBOs’ management processes.
This study aims to set goals of a community‑based plan based on preparedness capacities that
CBOs need to have in the COVID‑19 pandemic.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross‑sectional study used a prevalidated and reliable
questionnaire assessing (CBOs). The tool assesses preparedness in the field of planning, training,
and infrastructure. Forty CBOs met the inclusion criteria as assisting or cooperating agencies during
the COVID‑19 pandemic. Then, key informants, who simultaneously have been working in the health
system and CBOs, prioritized low‑scale items that have shown capacity gaps according to effects
on the vulnerable group, sustainability, and capability of the health system. Descriptive statistics
performed using SPSS18 software (SPSS Inc., Chicago, USA).
RESULTS: The results showed that the preparedness of CBOs was weak in the field of planning,
training, and infrastructure. Besides, overlaps of CBOs’ resources and covering the clients’ medical
needs in the COVID‑19 pandemic were the most priority that needs to be intervened.
CONCLUSION: Providing medical needs by CBOs require legal legitimacy assigned by health
authority, especially in epidemic‑prone diseases. In addition, assigning a coordinator to set a priority
list and mutual agreements authoried by health departments can solve the problem of overlapped
resources. Therefore, functional roles of CBOs in the pandemic should focus mostly on resource
allocation and the medical needs of clients to set goals and functional objectives.

Keywords

Capacity building
community health centers
COVID‑19 pandemics
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Journal of Education and Health Promotion
Volume 12, Issue 9
October 2022
Pages 1-9

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