Needs Assessment on Management and Health Economics from the Perspective of the Health Network Administrators and Experts: A Comprehensive Needs Assessment Study

Needs assessment is an essential prerequisite for any planning and management. This plan is designed to determine the priorities of research management and health economics.
This descriptive cross-sectional study has been used in collecting and describing data using qualitative and quantitative methods (comprehensive needs assessment model) which was done in 2017. The study population was consisted of senior managers and headmasters of the health department (14 people) and senior managers and headmasters of Isfahan health care networks (23 people). Sampling was done by census method. An essay typed questionnaire was used as the data instrument and its validity was verified by data collection method through multiple sources and for reliability or accuracy, the technique of 2 parallel researcher and specialized need committee were used. It was completed using a model of the needing comprehensive plan and a combination of scientific harmonization techniques (Delphi technique, Fischer Bowl, Tele Starr). Analyzing and prioritizing needs were done in the Excel and SPSS 16 software.
Research priorities were respectively: the developmental plan in the health system (3.40 ± 0.934), accidents and disasters (3.14 ± 0.907), health economics (3.06 ± 1.00), management and efficiency in the health system (3.00 ± 0.824), educational needs (2.60 ± 1.12), environment and sustainable development (2.56 ± 1.16).
This research, by extracting the research priorities of health economics management, provides guidance to policy makers and health managers to guide and fund health system research.