Stewardship and its Role in Iran’s Health System: A Scoping Review

Stewardship ,one of the most dominant functions of the health system is emphasized in the “General Health Policies Document” (GHPD) announced by the supreme leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Given that stewardship is a multi-dimensional concept with several different definitions, it needs clarification based on the aforementioned criteria in the GHPD. The purpose of this study was to identify and assess the concept of stewardship and its role functions. This study was a scoping review. For this purpose, reliable Persian and English-language databases were systematically reviewed without time limitation. The various definitions of stewardship, its functions and duties, as well as its role in achieving health goals are summarized. According to the findings, stewardship is defined  differently  and different functions and tasks are stated for it; but their common point is the concept of unbiased orientation to provide community benefits rather than individual or group benefits. Review of the stewardship concept revealed that its main function is to envision the health system and define the limitations and boundaries that affect the health system and ascertain that it works properly. In fact, as stated  in the  GHPD, the role of stewardship in the health system is one of governance and is not transferable. It is in line with the general health policy document.