Document Type : Original Research
Authors
1
Student Research Committee, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
2
Health Research Center, Life Style Institute, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
3
Chemical Injuries Research Center, Systems Biology and Poisonings Institute, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
Background and Aim: The impact of hospital management on COVID-19 mortality involves examining various management strategies, assessing the adequacy of hospital resources, and evaluating the efficiency of healthcare systems in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Evidence suggests that effective hospital management and adequate hospital equipment can significantly reduce COVID-19 mortality rates. However, evidence regarding the role of these factors in military hospitals in Iran is limited. The present study aims to investigate the effect of human resource management and hospital equipment in COVID-19 related mortality in five military hospitals in Iran.
Methods: Hospital data, including the number of hospital beds, number of nurses, number of ICU beds, number of ICU nurses, number of hospital ventilators, availability of CT scan or PCR devices, and hospital infection rates, were collected from the specified hospitals in Tehran, Tabriz, Kerman, Isfahan, and Kermanshah during the period from February 2021 to July 2022. Data collection was done through in-person and interview methods.
Results: The study analyzed data from the records of 2,500 patients who died from COVID-19 in five medical centers in Tehran, Tabriz, Isfahan, Kerman, and Kermanshah. Factors such as the percentage of ICU beds relative to the total number of hospital beds, the percentage of ICU nurses relative to the total number of hospital nurses, and the percentage of ICU beds relative to the total number of hospital admissions showed an inverse relationship with COVID-19 mortality, although this relationship was not statistically significant. The most significant factor associated with mortality was an increase in the number of occupied hospital beds.
Conclusion: Military hospitals in Iran have been relatively successful in controlling the COVID-19 epidemic, and human resource management and hospital equipment do not have a significant correlation with high mortality rates. However, a high number of patient admissions in the context of insufficient resources can affect COVID-19 mortality. Increasing the number of treatment-related equipment, such as ventilators, and optimizing ICU can improve hospitals' ability to combat against COVID-19, thereby helping to reduce mortality rates.
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