Assessment of Hospital Readiness to Respond to COVID-19 Pandemic in Jordan—A Cross Sectional Study

Eman Zmaily Dahmash (), Thaira Madi, Ahmad Shatat, Yazan Oroud, Samar Khaled Hassan, Omaima Nassar and Affiong Iyire
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Eman Zmaily Dahmash: Faculty of Health, Science, Social Care and Education, School of Life Sciences, Pharmacy and Chemistry, Kingston University, London KT1 2EE, UK
Thaira Madi: Department of Accreditation, Healthcare Accreditation Council, Amman 11181, Jordan
Ahmad Shatat: Department of Accreditation, Healthcare Accreditation Council, Amman 11181, Jordan
Yazan Oroud: Department of Accounting, Faculty of Business, Isra University, Amman 11622, Jordan
Samar Khaled Hassan: Department of Accreditation, Healthcare Accreditation Council, Amman 11181, Jordan
Omaima Nassar: Department of Accreditation, Healthcare Accreditation Council, Amman 11181, Jordan
Affiong Iyire: Aston Pharmacy School, Aston University, Birmingham B4 7ET, UK

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 3, 1-20

Abstract: During the global COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals faced tremendous pressure to cope with the emergency preparedness situations needed to cater for the influx of patients while maintaining their essential services. This study aimed to assess the level of readiness of hospitals in Jordan to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic using the WHO hospital readiness checklist. A cross-sectional survey using the modified and validated checklist was conducted in Jordan between 15 May and 15 June 2021. The checklist entailed ten key response functions with a total of 60 activities. Data from 22 hospitals were collected through a structured survey process by two surveyors for each hospital. The overall readiness score of hospitals was 1.77 ± 0.20, with a lower overall score in the northern region (1.65 ± 0.24) than the middle (1.86 ± 0.07) or southern (1.84 ± 0.14) regions. The diagnosis response function scored highest (1.95); but despite efforts, contingency plan development was not met by most hospitals, with a total score ≤ 1.45. Provision of psychological support and occupational health support to ensure the wellbeing of staff scored below average. Outcomes from this survey exposed gaps while offering a framework for upcoming endeavors to improve hospital readiness for any potential pandemic.

Keywords: COVID-19; emergency preparedness; pandemic; Jordan; WHO hospital readiness checklist (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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