Scientific Journal of Rescue Relief
Volume:4 Issue: 4, 2013

Education and research in relief issue and its improvement for rescue workers provides an appropriate context and optimization to get ready. This paper aimed to design a comprehensive system of professional training for rescue and relief workers in Red Crescent society. This descriptive-survey research is a developmental and non-experimental study in terms of goal and data collection. This study used of both qualitative and quantitative methods. Firstly, the exiting situation have been drawn and also damages have been assessed with studying and analyzing documents and using deep interviews with 11 training specialists and managers of Red Crescent Society (targeted interviews). Then, the optimal model of specialized training was organized. The designed pattern of questionnaire and the specialized training have been validated by relevant experts. The validity and reliability of research were calculated by content and Cronbach's alpha coefficient which indicated measurement instrument has high reliability (alpha coefficient was assessed for different components of specialized training system including need assessment= 0/95; design =0/97; implementation= 0/97; evaluation= 0/96 and motivational mechanisms= 0/96). About 17 managers and involved people in specialized training were accredited. One sample t-test and SPSS was used for data statistical analyzing. According to the results, the current deficits of professional training were as follows: lack of attention to the needs assessment; no systematic pattern in area; lack of mechanisms of designing training programs; lack of proper training courses; lack of systematic monitoring and evaluation of training courses; and little attention to the motivational mechanisms of learning process. Accordingly, the comprehensive system of specialized training is suggested a systematic pattern for Red Crescent society including need assessment, design, implementation, evaluation and motivational mechanisms for training. The designed model for specialized training is a conceptual and operational one which considers scientific literature in this field by using mixed methods and collecting data could confirm the feasibility of model validation in Red Crescent society.

The quality evaluation of applied-science institutes is necessary due to the importance of continuous quality improvement. By using system model, current study has evaluated the inputs, processes and outputs of four departments at Iran Helal Institute of Applied-Science & Technology. In this mixed method study, 20 participants were interviewed in the qualitative phase. After content analysis of interviews and also using national and international experiences, 13 factors, 52 criteria, 280 indicators / judgment criteria were compiled in 3 sections including inputs, processes and outputs. On the basis of the results of qualitative phase, the questionnaires and checklist were prepared and completed by 341 participants including heads of departments, faculty members, students, alumni, and employers in the quantitative phase. According to the results, inputs and outputs of departments were evaluated at»fairly-desirable«level. Also the quality of process factor (teaching) was evaluated at»desirable «level. The results indicated that the evaluated departments have gap between their current situation and desirable situation especially in case of inputs and outputs. The list of evaluated factors, criteria, and indicators is a great document for Iran Helal institute of Applied-Science & Technology. Undesirable and fairly desirable level of some factors, criteria, and indicators in this document are spotlights for quality improvement and planning in this institute.

One of the most important duties of manager is to organize and to maintain the organizational system. It means that the organizational commitment and responsibility of staff and employees must increase. In fact, managers of organization are responsible for the amount and type of employee commitment to the values. Organizational commitment is an important variable in understanding towards employees’ behavior. The organizational commitment improves and increases services and its quality with effect on employees’ performance.This paper aims to study the relationship between organizational commitment with demographic characteristics in staff of Isfahan Emergency Medical & Disaster Management Center. This cross-sectional study was carried out in 2011. The staff of Isfahan Emergency Medical & Disaster Management Center (128) was studied and analyzed by random sampling. By using the administrated questionnaire, data were collected and analyzed by SPSS. The results of the study were as follows: the average score of organizational commitment was about 59/8 and there was a significant relationship between index of employees’ organizational commitment and their education; it was an adverse relationship with a weak intensity. This relationship has been observed only in employees’ organizational commitment. Also, there has been a significant relationship between the average index of employees’ organizational commitment and their employment status. According to the results, the average of contractual employees’ commitment was more than other groups (official and etc). However, the mean difference was observed in both obligatory and continuous commitment. Because of the critical role of emergency medical technicians in ensuring health and saving people’ life in disasters, it is essential for managers to improve the employees’ organizational commitment by increasing job security, creating positive changes in organizational culture, providing appropriate training and briefing and incentive programs.

Burnout is a psychological syndrome concerning emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and reduced personal accomplishment. Burnout occurs often in people who deal with others in their business. Relief workers may also experience burnout, so it is important to know the burnout related factors in order to prevent psychological disorders in them. The aim of this study was to verify the relationship between some of the demographic variables and burnout in relief workers. This was a cross-sectional survey to study the correlation between burnout and demographic variables in relief workers. The study population was all the relief workers of Red Crescent society in Tehran province. Census method was used for collecting data. About 297 relief workers which were all male participated in the study. Demographic data was collected by using a self administrated questionnaire. Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) was used as a research tool for assessing burnout levels. According to the findings, there was a positive and significant but poor association between both age and number of shifts in a month with personal accomplishment. No association was found between past occupational experience (as a relief worker), number of participations in past month incidents, educational level and type of serving (as a volunteer or non-volunteer relief worker) with burnout components. The results showed that there is no relationship between burnout and demographic variables studied in this survey in relief workers.

This research aimed to develop and validate the questionnaire in order to measure patients’ satisfaction with pharmacy services of Red Crescent society. This study was standardisation. In this study, about 330 people who referred to pharmacy of Red Crescent society of Shiraz Township were selected and studied by using purposive sampling in winter 2011. The reliability was assessed by internal-consistency method (Cronbach's alpha and split-half coefficient) and by content and construct validity (factors analysis) validity was measured. Data was analyzed by using SPSS. The results of internal consistency indicated that alpha coefficient and split-half for the total factors were 0/88 and 0/73; and alpha coefficient for the three factors of 'interpersonal aspects','services quality' and 'ambience' was 0/92, 0/75, 0/71 respectively. The values of face and content validity were appropriate. The result of factors analysis (with varimax rotation) indicated that three factors explained questionnaire variance (%62/23). The mentioned questionnaire had an appropriate validity and desired reliability in order to evaluate the quality of services in pharmacy of Red Crescent society.

Nowadays, sustainable and effective development has an important position in countie's micro and macro planning which includes several parts such as personal development, culture and social system, government, economic system infrastructure, and environment. However, this process is recommended by governments and governmental organizations to use the ability of non-governmental organizations, members, volunteers, legal persons and their role in achieving sustainable development. Therefore, development of organizations and NGOs has increased in many countries in the past years. In Iran, government assigned responsibilities for private sectors in recent years. This paper aimed to study the position of volunteers, the value of their social and economic activities, and the role of volunteers in achieving sustainable development at international level and Red Crescent society, the largest NGO, is investigated as one of the responsible organization for organizing volunteer activities. In this paper, the methods of achieving sustainable development were studied using library documents and information from networks by voluntary participation and the author' experience in the field of volunteers management nationally and internationally. Nowadays, with spreading of economic and social problems in the world, international organizations especially UN has tended to promote volunteering culture. And they are trying to use volunteers in order to minimize economic pressure to needy and vulnerable groups (Importance of volunteer's role in the world); increasing of social crises in the world has shown decline of civilized western world from religious and valuable concepts. So with valuable and humanitarian concepts and values and voluntary activities, it is trying to find and get together a kind of common culture in people's relationships regardless of their color, race, language and religion (communicating of people around the world with each other through volunteering concept); regarding civil society and developing of democracy by volunteers in various communities and attention of governments, politicians and decision-makers in societies are other important issues in volunteers participation (Attention of governments and politicians to volunteering concept); and the responsible international organizations are trying to increase participation of the private sectors and organizations in voluntary activities and utilize fully of their ability in order to help the needy and affected people. Accordingly, major donors and sponsors of volunteer programs are private companies, entrepreneurs, banks, financial institutions, and local businesses (active participation of private sectors and volunteers in volunteer's activities). Undoubtedly, promotion of volunteering culture in the world and ubiquity participation of volunteers without any financial and material expectation can leave behind a significant effect on all society aspects based on human nature especially in social and economic dimensions. However, it seems that volunteers in community and promotion of volunteering culture can revive human values in different countries in addition to facilitate the access of effective development for them. Therefore, volunteer's sense of responsibility can revive values and personal beliefs in the community and also leads to people growth.

According to the official statistics, cardiac arrest and accidents are included respectively as the first and second causes of death in Iran. Giving first aid to victims by trained people present at the scene causes less damage to the injured. This research was performed in order to study the current state of knowledge and attitudes of staffs of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences about first aid and CPR. In this descriptive survey, all non-medical staffs (in headquarter and subordinate units) of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences were studied in city of Sari in 2012. A total of 320 persons were selected and studied with stratified sampling using Cochran formula. By using a self-administered standardized questionnaire, data was collected in three parts: demographic information, knowledge and attitudes assessment. In order to evaluate validity and reliability, it was used of the opinion of public education experts of Red Crescent society and also university professors. However, the results of Cronbach's alpha coefficient (questions related to knowledge and attitudes r=0/83 and r=0/88 respectively) showed an acceptable internal consistency. The comparison of average score between the two groups indicated there were significant differences between the trained and untrained groups about knowledge of first aid (P<0/05, t=2/535). However, significant differences were not observed between attitudes of two groups’ average score towards first aid (0/05< P, t=0/618). According to the results, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences as one of the monitoring system and responsible organization for promoting health should improve the knowledge and awareness of its personnel. Since the staffs’ information should keep up to date with appropriate retraining methods, appropriate educational programs should be launched for nonmedical staffs of the university. In this regard, one of the most important measures for officials is to pay more attention to promoting and training of first aid skills of the personnel.