Willingness to pay for cataract surgery and its associated factors in selected medical centers in Urmia, Iran.

Introduction: Cataracts represent a significant public health issue and are the most prevalent vision disorder following refractive errors. They can restrict the economic, social, and psychological activities of those affected, thereby diminishing their quality of life. This study was undertaken to examine the willingness to pay for cataract surgery and the factors influencing this decision in selected medical centers in Urmia.

Price transparency in Iranian healthcare market.

Insufficient price transparency has emerged as a pivotal contributor to patient dissatisfaction, escalating costs, and diminished productivity within Iran's health system. This study aims to delineate and elucidate a definition of price transparency, identify suitable strategies, and present the outcomes associated with establishing a health system that embraces transparent pricing while also addressing the challenges ahead. Employing a quantitative-qualitative research design, data were extracted from a semi-structured interviews with stakeholders.

Biomechanical changes in keratoconus after customized stromal augmentation.

Purpose: To verify corneal biomechanical changes, poststromal augmentation using myopic small-incision lenticule extraction's (SMILEs) lenticules in advanced keratoconus (KCN) through Corvis ST (Oculus, Wetzlar, Germany).

Materials And Methods: A clinical trial enrolled 22 advanced KCN patients. We implanted lenticules exceeding 100 μ according to a nomogram and evaluated biomechanical factors through Corvis ST at 3-, 6-, and 24-month postimplantation.

Burden of COVID-19 disease in Kurdistan province in west of Iran using disability-adjusted life years.

Background And Aims: During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, about seven million people were infected with the disease, of which more than 133,000 died. Health policymakers need to know the extent and magnitude of the disease burden to decide on how much to allocate resources for disease control. The results of this investigation could be helpful in this field.

Cost-benefit analysis of kidney transplant in patients with chronic kidney disease: a case study in Iran.

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a health problem due to its increasing prevalence and imposes a significant economic burden on the health system. This study aimed to analyze the cost-benefit of kidney transplantation through the valuation of patients with ESRD for a kidney transplant and its costs to help decide this regard.

Material And Methods: This study was a descriptive-analytical and cross-sectional economic evaluation study of health interventions performed in Imam Khomeini Hospital in Urmia from the patient's perspective.

Topography versus non-topography-guided photorefractive keratectomy with corneal cross-linking variations in keratoconus.

Aim: To compare the visual results of non-topography-guided and topography-guided photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) applying sequential and simultaneous corneal cross-linking (CXL) treatment for keratoconus.

Methods: Interventional and comparative prospective study. Sixty-nine eyes (36 patients) suffering from keratoconus (stages 1 Amsler-Krumeich classification) were divided into four groups: sequential topography-guided photorefractive keratectomy with CXL, simultaneous topography-guided photorefractive keratectomy with CXL, simultaneous non-topography guided photorefractive keratectomy with CXL, and sequential non-topography guided photorefractive keratectomy with CXL.

Value of willingness to pay for a QALY gained in Iran; a modified chained-approach.

Background: Due to the lack of a constant Willingness to Pay per one additional Quality Adjusted Life Years gained based on the preferences of Iran's general public, the cost-effectiveness of health system interventions is unclear and making it challenging to apply economic evaluation to health resources priority setting.

Methods: We have measured this cost-effectiveness threshold with the participation of 2854 individuals from five provinces, each representing an income quintile, using a modified Time Trade-Off-based Chained-Approach. In this online-based empirical survey, to extract the health utility value, participants were randomly assigned to one of two green (21121) and yellow (22222) health scenarios designed based on the earlier validated EQ-5D-3L questionnaire.

Physician induced demand for knee replacement surgery in Iran.

Background: The structure of the Iranian health system has raised this hypothesis that a part of the Knee Replacement Surgery (KRS) services are provided due to Physician-Induced Demand (PID).

Methods: This paper used an unbalanced individual panel data covering the steady-state 15,729 KRSs performed by 995 surgeons provided by the Armed Forces Insurance Organization at the provincial level over the 60 months (2014-2018). We use a generalized method of moment's system (GMM-SYS) to obtain consistent and asymptotically efficient estimates, which provide a vital instrument for our dynamic panel data.

The health-related quality of life in Iranian patients with COVID-19.

Background: COVID-19 is a public health emergency with a high mortality rate and it reduces the patient's Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) significantly. This effect is measured in the current study.

Methods: In a cross-sectional study in Iran, 320 randomly selected treated patients from COVID-19 were studied.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of tele-retinopathy of prematurity screening in Iran.

Aim: To conduct a cost-utility analysis of the tele-retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) screening program against no screening.

Methods: A decision tree model was developed to identify and treat the infants with threshold ROP through the tele-screening system compared with no screening program from the societal perspective. We used the quality adjusted life years (QALY) index to measure the scenarios' effectiveness, which was discounted for the future years by 0.

Incidence of household catastrophic and impoverishing health expenditures among patients with Breast Cancer in Iran.

Background: Breast cancer disease is the most common cancer among Iranian women and imposing a significant financial burden on the households. This study calculated out-of-pocket (OOP), catastrophic health expenditure (CHE), and impoverishing health spending attributed to breast cancer in Iran.

Methods: In this cross-sectional household study, clinical and financial information on breast cancer and also household information (expenditures and income) were obtained through face-to-face interviews and completing a questionnaire by 138 women with this disease in 2019.

Visual performance of four types of diffractive multifocal intraocular lenses and a review of articles.

Aim: To compare the clinical outcomes of a variety of multifocal intraocular lenses (MIOLs) in patients diagnosed with presbyopia or cataracts.

Methods: This clinical trial study included 141 patients (282 eyes) with different MIOLs implantation. The Symfony (60 eyes), the ReSTOR (100 eyes), the AT LISAtri (60 eyes), and the PanOptix (62 eyes) intraocular lenses were evaluated in this prospective interventional study.

Study of the ex-post moral hazard of laboratory services in Iran.

The basic health insurances cover more than 90% of the Iranian population but have failed to organize the referral system and created favorable conditions for the ex-post moral hazard. Five hundred fifty people older than 15 years were randomly selected in five districts of Urmia city and completed the questionnaire to study the existence of Ex-post moral hazard in utilizing the high-consumption laboratory services (blood and urine tests). In this population-based cross-sectional study, utilization of the services in two groups of insured and uninsured people was analyzed using odds ratio statistics and logistic regression.

Customized Stromal Lenticule Implantation for Keratoconus.

Purpose: To investigate the potential benefit of keratoconus surgery using customized corneal stromal donor lenticules obtained from myopic small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) surgery by femtosecond laser.

Methods: In this prospective, consecutive, non-comparative series of cases, 22 lenticules were obtained from 22 myopic patients who had SMILE with a lenticule central thickness of greater than 110 µm. The lenticules were implanted in 22 eyes with advanced keratoconus.

Estimating global injuries morbidity and mortality: methods and data used in the Global Burden of Disease 2017 study.

Background: While there is a long history of measuring death and disability from injuries, modern research methods must account for the wide spectrum of disability that can occur in an injury, and must provide estimates with sufficient demographic, geographical and temporal detail to be useful for policy makers. The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2017 study used methods to provide highly detailed estimates of global injury burden that meet these criteria.

Methods: In this study, we report and discuss the methods used in GBD 2017 for injury morbidity and mortality burden estimation.

Estimating utility value for female genital mutilation.

Background: Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) is a clear violation of women's rights and can have adverse and irreversible health effects as well. Worldwide, more than 200 million women and girls have undergone FGM/C. Utility value of FGM/C has not been estimated yet, so we designed this study to extract the health utility value of FGM/C for the first time in the world.

Effect of female genital mutilation on mental health: a case-control study.

The study aimed to investigate the mental health status of women with female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) and compare it with that of a similar group of women without FGM/C. A case-control study was carried out in 2018 among 122 women with FGM/C and 125 women without FGM/C who had been referred to one of the general health service centres in Kermanshah Province, western Iran. The 28 item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) was used to collect data on participants' mental health.

Moving Toward Universal Health Coverage: Four Decades Of Experience From The Iranian Health System.

Universal health coverage (UHC) during the past decade has become the main goal of the World Health Organization. Access to health services, without suffering financial hardship for the patients, constitutes the key foundation definition of UHC and its three dimensions: population coverage, service coverage, and financial protection. Iranian health policymakers have purposefully or non-purposefully been pursued the UHC goals during the last four decades by the following macro plans: Health corps, establishing and expanding Health-Care Networks, Law of Universal Health and Social Security Insurances, Family Physician, and Health Transformation Plan.

Mapping 123 million neonatal, infant and child deaths between 2000 and 2017.

Since 2000, many countries have achieved considerable success in improving child survival, but localized progress remains unclear. To inform efforts towards United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3.2-to end preventable child deaths by 2030-we need consistently estimated data at the subnational level regarding child mortality rates and trends.

Rapid Assessment of Avoidable Blindness in Kurdistan, Iran.

Purpose: To determine the magnitude and causes of blindness and visual impairment (VI) in Kurdistan, using the Rapid Assessment of Avoidable Blindness methodology.

Methods: In this population-based cross sectional study, 99 clusters were selected through probability proportional to size sampling. Visual acuity (VA) was measured using a standard tumbling "E" chart.

Geographical inequality in cataract surgery among Iranians between 2006 and 2011.

Background: Cataract surgery is a highly cost-effective intervention for sight restoration but inequalities exist in its use which health care systems should aim to reduce.

Aims: This study aimed to measure the level of inequality in cataract surgery use and the changes in inequality between 2006 and 2011 in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Methods: A number of metrics, including ranges and indexes based on Lorenz curves (Gini, concentration and dissimilarity indexes), were used to measure the inequality in cataract surgery use among Iranians in 2006 and 2011.