Iranian primary healthcare system’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic using the healthcare incident command system

Abstract

The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of the healthcare incident command system (HICS) on the district health networks (DHNs) covered by provincial Medical Universities (PMU) in terms of the management and commanding of the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran. This study was a cross-sectional survey. The study was performed in Iran in June 2020 in 60 DHNs, 41 of which had an active HICS. Data were collected on eight HCIS dimensions from all 60 DHNs by trained crisis management experts to evaluate the effects of HICS use on management of the COVID-19 pandemic. For all the 60 DHNs, the mean score of the COVID-19 incident command and management was 78.79 ± 11.90 (range 20–100); with mean scores highest for organizational support and coordination and lowest for logistic and planning. Significant differences were observed between the DHNs with active HICS and DHNs with inactive or no HICS in terms of the mean scores of incident management and command and their associated dimensions. According to the results, the HICS use had a positive impact on the improvement of incident management and command and all the related dimensions. Therefore, the HICS could be conducted and implemented in primary healthcare for the systematic and proper management of crises caused by infectious diseases and increasing primary healthcare system efficiency in response to these crises.