COVID-19 control management in central corona hospitals using SWOT and QSPM matrices: A case study in Kashan central hospitals

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals have been the most important centers for the virus spread. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the management of infection control in central corona hospitals in Kashan using the quantitative strategic planning matrix (QSPM) matrix. Methods: The existing documents studied the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of the organization identified by environmental health experts. The internal and external factors were identified as internal factor evaluation (IFE) and external factor evaluation (EFE) matrices, respectively, then, prioritized and weighted. In the next step, the SWOT matrix was formed and the type of used strategy by the organization was determined, and solutions to improve the current situation were presented by experts. Finally, the attractiveness table was compiled and weighted using the QSPM method to prioritize the proposed strategies. Results: After identifying 25 strengths, 28 weaknesses, 15 opportunities, and 13 threats, weighting was performed, the final score for internal and external factors was 2.6475 and 2.3825, respectively. The final strategy for implementing COVID-19 disease control in the studied hospitals was the Conservative Strategy (WO). Based on this, six control strategies were presented. The priority and attractiveness of each strategy were evaluated using the QSPM matrix. Finally, the strategy of “structuring the system and providing and upgrading the equipment and infrastructure facilities” was implemented as a priority. Conclusion: According to the results, the combination of SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) and QSPM methods can play an efficient role in identifying and evaluating the factors affecting the management of the COVID-19 pandemic in hospitals and further developing and prioritizing control strategies for this infectious disease. Keywords: COVID-19, Environmental health, Hospitals, Research desig

Pesticides residues determination and probabilistic health risk assessment in the soil and cantaloupe by Monte Carlo simulation: A case study in Kashan and Aran-Bidgol, Iran

Cantaloupe is a popular agricultural product in the hot season of Iran. On the other hand, the frequent use of pesticides in cantaloupe fields is the most important threat to the health of farmers and consumers. Therefore, the present study aims to measure the concentration of diazinon (DZN), chlorpyrifos (CPF), and malathion (MLT) in cantaloupe cultivated in Kashan and Aran-Bidgol (Iran) and to estimate the possible oral and dermal risk of these pesticides by Monte Carlo simulation (MCS). 36 cantaloupe samples, 18 samples before, and 18 samples after the latent period were collected from different places of cantaloupe cultivation from April to May 2021. After measuring the pesticides using the QuEChERS approach, oral and dermal risk assessments were calculated.The mean and standard deviation of the concentrations of chlorpyrifos, malathion, and diazinon in 18 cantaloupe samples, after the latent period, were (30.39 ± 13.85), (18.361 ± 1.8), and (21.97 ± 0.86) μg kg-1, respectively. Concentration of Malathion, diazinon, and Chlorpyrifos in the soil were 0.22, 0.25, and 0.3 mg kg-1, respectively, and pesticide cumulative risk assessment in soil was obtained 0.011 for Malathion, 0.05 for diazinon and 0.03 for Chlorpyrifos. Target Hazard Quotient (THQ) according to the cantaloupe consumption and dermal exposure in children and adults, was safe range. Although non-cancerous dermal and oral risk of cantaloupe is low, constant exposure can be harmful. Therefore, the findings of this study play an important role in increasing the understanding of the negative health consequences of pesticide contamination in cantaloupe for consumers, especially local residents, and can help by adopting remedial strategies to reduce environmental concerns