A Survey on Knowledge, Attitude, and Performance of General Practitioners in Rafsanjan, Iran towards Health System Research

Health system research (HSR) is system planning، coordination، monitoring and management of research resources and activities to achieve health and justice. As the main members of the health system، general practitioners (GPs) play an important role in access to health care goals. The aim of the present study was to assess knowledge، attitude، and performance of GPs in Rafsanjan، Iran towards HSR. This descriptive study was carried out on all GPs (76 people) in Rafsanjan. Information was collected using a researcher-designed questionnaire. The face validity of the questionnaire was assessed according to the opinion of two epidemiologists. Its reliability was assessed by calculating of Cronbach''s alpha. Data was analyzed correlation tests، analysis of variance (ANOVA)، and t and chi-square tests. From 72 GPs (94. 7%) who responded to the questionnaire، 39 (54. 1%) were male and 33 (45. 8%) were female. Level of knowledge was poor in 18 cases (25%)، moderate in 39 cases (54. 2%)، and desirable in 15 people (20. 8%). Poor، moderate، and desirable levels of attitude toward HSR were observed in 5 (7%)، 42 (58. 3%)، and 25 (34. 7%) GPs، respectively. Overall، the performance of the GP‍s was assessed to be poor. The findings of this study highlighted that knowledge and attitude of GPs in Rafsanjan towards HSR is average and their performance is weak. It is therefore recommended to carry out necessary planning to improve knowledge and attitude of GPs towards HSR. Conducting educational classes and workshops would be beneficial in this regard. Moreover، GPs involved in HSR need to be provided with essential requirements and sufficient funding.