Likely behaviours of people under emergency circumstances in hospitals: A cross-sectional study

Hospitals, which play an important role in reducing injuries and casualties, must be prepared for a crowd of people in emergencies. The present study aimed to survey and collect data on the likely behaviours of people under emergency circumstances in hospitals in order to improve emergency response plans in these places. The target population was all individuals present in three hospitals from Tabriz (including patients, companions and treatment staff), and the sample size was 1145. A questionnaire was administered to this population in order to collect the data. The comparison of different groups was performed based on participants' gender and their role. Results showed that, in general, everyone in the surveyed hospitals is more likely to choose a reactive strategy rather than a preventive strategy as well as a cooperative strategy rather than a competitive strategy, and less willing to use lifts during emergencies. Comparing different strategies utilized by different people resulting from ordered logit models revealed that there are significant differences in evacuation strategies between men and women as well as between treatment staff and all respondents. Men were more likely to select a proactive strategy rather than a reactive strategy compared to women. Also, the treatment staff group were more likely to employ a cooperative strategy and less likely to use a competitive strategy compared to other people. In view of the role of hospitals, the results of this study can play a major role in policy-making to predict the behaviour of different individuals in healthcare settings and perform needs assessment to consider the necessary facilities or raining required for different people in various countries.