Factors Affecting on Development of Age_Friendly Hospital in Iran: Factor Analysis

Developing countries such as Iran experience a growing phenomenon of aging, and the elderlies are at a risk of longer hospital stay. The increasing number of elderly patients necessitates the establishment of age-friendly hospitals. This study aimed to determine the factors affecting the development of age-friendly hospitals in Iran using factor analysis.

This descriptive, analytic and cross-sectional study was performed during three months in 2018. The statistical population included physicians, nurses, and paramedical staff  of hospitals from across the country. In total, 408 subject were selected by cluster sampling. Data were collected using a demographic characteristics questionnaire (seven items) and the researcher-made age-friendly hospital questionnaire (57 items). In addition, data analysis was performed in SPSS version 22, and the exploratory factor analysis was confirmed by AMOS.

The exploratory analysis identified seven main components, including ethics in care (eight variables and variance 8.84%), physical environment (nine variables and variance 7.75%), care process (six variables and variance 7.69%), emotional and behavioral environment (six variables and variance 7.38%), organizational support (six variables and variance 7.33%), healthcare systems (six variables and variance 5.99), and policy-making (six variables and variance 5.56%). All the seven factors explained 50.56% of total variance.

According to the results of the study, attention to factors including ethics in care, physical environment, care process, emotional and behavioral environment, organizational support, healthcare systems, and policy-making factors can lead to the development of age-friendly hospitals in Iran.