Hospitales del Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social durante los sismos de septiembre de 2017. Análisis desde la perspectiva del Programa Hospital Seguro

Abstract

Introduction: The function of hospitals during major emergency or disaster is vital. Their response capacity depends on their geographic location, adequate organization, structural safety and safety of non-structural elements. After September 2017 earthquakes, self-assessment and Safe Hospital Program assessment results were compared in disabled hospitals belonging to the Mexican Institute of Social Security. Objective: To compare the Hospital Safety Index (HIS) with self-assessments carried out by the units. Method: HIS and the Pan-American Health Organization/World Health Organization checklist were used. The comparison was carried out in 3 hospitals that were disabled after September 2017 earthquakes. Results: Variability was observed in HIS, which revealed self-assessment biases: no hospital obtained a HIS score lower than 0.35, although all 3 were disabled in the immediate phase after the seismic events. Conclusions: Result variability depends on who applies the instrument. Quick HIS assessment provides an immediate idea of the probability for a hospital to continue functioning in case of disaster and allows determining mitigation actions to increase health facilities’ resilience and safety.