Emergency Evacuation Related Challenges in Specialized Hospitals for Children and Neonates: A Narrative Review

Background: In recent years, the number of emergencies in hospitals has increased. Hospitals are one of the main assets for successful disaster management. One of the significant challenges in a disaster is the evacuation of training wards. There are anatomical and physiological differences between adults and children that make children more vulnerable to accidents and disasters. Rapid transfer of sick children on a large scale has always been challenging in this respect. Objectives: This study pursued the goal to determine the challenges of emergency evacuation in specialized hospitals for children and neonates. Methods: Searching online databases, such as Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science was done from December 1 to December 20, 2021. The keywords used for the search were based on Medical Subject Headings (MESH) and were combined with other keywords, including evacuation, disaster, pediatric, and patient transfer. All English language studies consistent with the study goal (emergency evacuation challenges in specialized hospitals for children and neonatal) were included in this study. Results: Out of 2,145 studies, the full text of 11 studies was finally reviewed. The measures taken during natural disasters are divided into three levels: local, state, and national. Emergency evacuation challenges are also divided into five categories: communication, training, transportation, equipment and energy, and management. Conclusions: This study provided essential perspectives for developing appropriate intervention strategies for the managers and policymakers of health care systems to better prepare in case of natural disasters breaking out in children and neonatal wards.