Major incident experience and preparedness in a developing country.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Disaster Management
• Organizational Preparedness

Background:

• Previous major incident experience positively influences organizational awareness and preparedness.
• Investigated the impact of major incident experience on health organizations' disaster preparedness in Iran.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the effect of prior major incident experience on the preparedness of Iranian health organizations for future disasters.
• To identify factors influencing preparedness and response capabilities.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study employing semistructured interviews with 65 public health and therapeutic affairs managers.
• Data analysis utilized the framework analysis technique with qualitative research software.

Main Results:

• Prior major incident experience led to improved performance, coordination, and cooperation in future event responses.
• Positive effects observed in policy making, resource distribution, preparedness activities, public awareness, and knowledge enhancement.
• Preparedness actions were found to be predominantly individual-dependent.

Conclusions:

• An effective major incident management system is crucial for enhancing health organization efficiency and effectiveness.
• Leveraging lessons learned from past incidents can better equip health organizations for future similar events.