Situational analysis of general practitioners using a forecasting approach until 2025 and a multi-state Markov model: A retrospective longitudinal study.

Introduction: Undesirable working conditions, insufficient professional development and other labour market pressures have significantly impacted the status of general practitioners (GPs). This study aimed to conduct a situational analysis of GPs in Iran using a forecasting approach until 2025.

Methods: Data were collected concurrently through direct contact, data matching among databases and tracking among graduates from four clusters of medical science universities over the past decade.

Relevance of the COVID-19 rapid response system to public health policymaking in Islamic Republic of Iran.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has increased awareness of the need for high-quality and timely evidence to support policy- and decision-making in emergency situations.

Aims: To describe the experiences of the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR), Islamic Republic of Iran, in adopting evidence-informed policymaking during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: During the COVID-19 pandemic, NIHR institutionalized a rapid response system that was backed up by evidence-informed policy- and decision-making.

Prevalence of comorbidities in patients with multiple sclerosis using administrative data from 2007 to 2016 in Iran.

Background: Research interest in the impact of comorbidities in MS has been expanding. Based on studies, certain comorbidities are more prevalent in MS population such as depression, anxiety, hypertension and hypercholesterolemia, diabetes, and hypothyroidism.

Objective: This study aims to describe the prevalence of comorbidities in MS population based on the health insurance claims data.

Change Management in Hospitals: A Framework Analysis.

Background: Hospitals are complex organizations that frequently need changes especially in service delivery processes, organizing, human resource management, monitoring and evaluation and technologies. Maintaining and improving productivity is a key requirement in hospital change management. Therefore, we need to develop and expand an appropriate model for management of changes in hospitals; which is the main purpose of this study.

Adaptation Frameworks for Clinical Guidelines and Proposing a Framework for Iran: A Review and Comparative Study.

Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs) can be adapted to local conditions to prevent any resources from being wasted. Adaptation of CPGs implies a systematic view of developed guidelines through maintaining evidence-based principles in order to find the ones most relevant with patients' conditions and its integration with the cultural and regional requirements of the target population and health system facilities. The main purpose of the study was to describe, interpret and compare different frameworks for adaptation of clinical guidelines and proposing a comprehensive framework for Iran.

Healthcare Utilization and Expenditures among Iranian Chemical Warfare Survivors Exposed to Sulfur Mustard.

Background: This study aims to explore the healthcare utilization (HCU) and expenditures from complementary health insurance among Iranian people who survived sulfur mustard (SM) exposure during the Iran-Iraq war.

Methods: This study was conducted between March 21, 2018 and March 21, 2019 using secondary data. Data on the HCU and expenditure of war survivors after their exposure to SM were obtained from the Iran Veterans and Martyr Affair Foundation (VMAF) database and the national complementary insurance organization that covers their medical expenses.

Factors affecting the successful implementation of the referral system: A scoping review.

An effective referral system ensures that there is a close relationship among all levels of health care, and individuals can receive the best possible care. The main purpose of the present study was to summarize studies that have addressed factors affecting the successful implementation of the referral system. A scoping review was performed to identify English and Farsi papers that were indexed in PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, Trip Database, Cochrane Library, Embase, Google Scholar, SID, and Magiran until November 2020.

Barriers toward the practice of healthy behaviors among patients with non-communicable diseases in Gaza Strip, Palestine.

Objectives: Non-communicable diseases are non-infectious health conditions caused by genetic, physiological, environmental, and behavioral factors. Currently, non-communicable diseases account for almost two-thirds of deaths globally. This study aimed to explore the patients' adherence level to the key recommendations, and the main barriers toward the practice of healthy behaviors among non-communicable diseases patients.

Barriers of Adherence among Palestinian Healthcare Professionals towards the Protocol of Health Education and Counselling on Healthy Behaviours for Non-Communicable Diseases.

Background: Despite the huge numbers of the universally produced and employed protocols, the adherence with them is still low to moderate in the healthcare settings. This study was employed to assess the attitudes of Palestinian healthcare professionals in Gaza Strip to health education and counseling on healthy behaviours protocol (WHO-PEN Protocol 2), for patients with non-communicable diseases in the Ministry of Health primary healthcare centers.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted with a census sample of all governmental family physicians and nurses (n=175).

Improving Transparency of Hospitals' Performance: Recommendations for Iran.

Public reporting of hospitals' performance data is a growing trend. This transparency may improve patient choices, competition, and service quality. This study aims to provide recommendations to improve hospitals' transparency in Iran.

Assessment of Utility in Migraine: Mapping the Migraine-Specific Questionnaire to the EQ-5D-5L.

Introduction: There are increasing demands for studies of cost-effectiveness to allocate resources for disease prevention and treatment strategies. The aim of this study is to measure quality of life in migraineurs, based on the Migraine-Specific Questionnaire (MSQ) and EQ-5D-5L, and thereafter map an algorithm to estimate health-state utility values from the MSQ in individuals with migraine.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study conducted between May and July 2018 in a tertiary headache clinic in Tehran, Iran, migraineurs diagnosed based on International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD)-3β were enrolled and were asked to complete the MSQ questionnaire and EQ-5D questionnaire.

Public Sector Capacity to Prevent and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases in Twelve Low- and Middle-Income Countries Based on WHO-PEN Standards: A Systematic Review.

This review was conducted to assess the capacity of the public sector to prevent and control noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) in low-and middle-income countries (LMIC) based on WHO-PEN standards. A PRISMA systematic search appraisal of PubMed, Scopus, and Embase was conducted during May-2020 for original articles conducted in LMIC and reported the capacity of the public sector to prevent and control NCDs. The country readiness score was calculated as the mean score of items for each domain.

QALY league table of Iran: a practical method for better resource allocation.

Background: The limited health care resources cannot meet all the demands of the society. Thus, decision makers have to choose feasible interventions and reject the others. We aimed to collect and summarize the results of all cost utility analysis studies that were conducted in Iran and develop a Quality Adjusted Life Year (QALY) league table.

Validity of a Serological Diagnostic Kit for SARS-CoV-2 Available in Iran.

Background: The Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) epidemic broke out in December 2019 and is now characterized as a pandemic. Effective control of this infectious disease requires access to diagnostic techniques, for both case finding and epidemic size estimation. The molecular technique is routinely used worldwide.

Economic burden of medication-overuse headache in Iran: direct and indirect costs.

Background And Objective: Medication-overuse headache (MOH) as a secondary chronic headache imposes a considerable burden on both individuals and societies. Nevertheless, little is known about the burden of MOH in Iran. Therefore, in the current study, we aimed to quantify the annual cost of MOH among Iranian patients.

The completeness of the registration system and the economic burden of fatal injuries in Iran.

Background: The present study aims to calculate completeness of the current registration system of fatal injuries in the legal Medicine Organization (LMO) and to estimate the economic burden of fatal injuries at the national level of Iran.

Methods: We estimated the completeness of registered fatal injuries using a three-source capture-recapture method among the Legal Medicine Organization, health departments and Traffic police in Hamedan County (HC) from June 22, 2015 to June 21, 2016. We also estimated the economic burden of fatal injuries using Years of Life Lost (YLL) during one year.

Capacity of Palestinian primary health care system to prevent and control of non-communicable diseases in Gaza Strip, Palestine: A capacity assessment analysis based on adapted WHO-PEN tool.

The prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are increasing in low-income countries including Palestine. This study was conducted to assess the capacity of Palestinian primary health care system to prevent and control of NCDs. This cross-sectional study in which, the World Health Organization package of essential NCDs interventions (WHO-PEN) tool, was used to assess the capacity of primary health care centers (PHCs) to prevent and control of NCDs.

Estimate General Practitioners Active Supply in Iran: Capture-Recapture Method for Three Data Sources.

Background: Accurate estimation of active general practitioners (GPs) is a concern for health authorities to estimate requirements. This study aimed to accurately estimate GPs active supply in Iran using three sources capture-recapture (CRC) method.

Methods: This cross-sectional study collected data during 2015-2016, targeting all GPs registered in three independent data sources; a national survey from all hospitals, database of human resource management office at health ministry and physicians' offices databank.

Physician preferences for working in deprived areas: a systematic review of discrete choice experiment.

Physician shortages in rural areas is a universal concern, and most countries face this challenge. Many attributes influence the physician preferences about the choice of working location. The aim of this systematic review was to investigate which attributes were included in discrete choice experiment studies and which of them valued the most by physicians.

Factors Associated with Dual Practice in Surgery Specialists: Application of Multi-Level Analysis on National Registry Data.

Background: Dual practice by surgery specialists is a widespread issue across health systems. This study aimed to determine the level of dual practice engagement and its related factors among Iran's surgery specialists.

Methods: A pre-structured form was developed to collect the data about surgery specialists worked in all 925 Iran hospitals in 2016.

Preferences of Iranian average risk population for colorectal cancer screening tests.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the preferences of the average risk Iranian population for colorectal cancer (CRC) screening tests.

Design/methodology/approach: A standard stated-preferences method with discrete choice models was used to identify the preferences. Data about socio-demographic status, health status and preferences for CRC screening tests were collected by a structured questionnaire that was completed by 500 people aged 50-75 years.

Budget Impact Analysis of Rotavirus Vaccine Adoption in the Childhood Immunization Schedule of Iran.

Objectives: To examine the budget impact of introducing the RotaTeq® vaccine (Merck and Co Inc, West Point, PA) to the national immunization program in Iran.

Methods: The pre- and postvaccine introduction costs were compared. The total annual costs included the vaccination and diarrhea treatment costs.

Challenges to achieving universal health coverage through community-based health planning and services delivery approach: a qualitative study in Ghana.

Objective: Community-based initiatives have enormous potential to facilitate the attainment of universal health coverage (UHC) and health system development. Yet key gaps exist and threaten its sustainability in many low-income and middle-income countries. This study is first of its kind (following the launch of the Sustainable Developments Goal [SDG]) and aimed to holistically explore the challenges to achieving UHC through the community-based health planning and service (CHPS) initiative in Ghana.