Identifying the Challenges of Establishing an Integrated Health System (SIB) and its Implementation from the Perspective of Field and Residential User Staff at Tehran University of Medical Sciences One Year After Running (2017): A Qualitative Study

Identifying the challenges and barriers to the successful deployment and implementation of an integrated health care system from the perspective of the field and residential user staff can provide valuable information for administrative staff and policymakers at the provincial and national levels.

The present study was qualitative research. Data were obtained through semi-structured interviews, which continued until data saturation. Purposeful sampling was performed in 2018 among service providers, experts, and managerial staff from the South Tehran Health Center and Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Data were analyzed using standard qualitative content analysis with MAXQDA software.

The analysis of the interview data resulted in the emergence of 504 initial codes and eight themes. The themes included 1) System definition, 2) Comments on the system, 3) Project benefits, 4) Project disadvantages, 5) National implementation, 6) Challenges of successful implementation of the project, 7) Project implementation conditions, and 8) Suggestions to resolve the existing problems.

The integrated electronic health record system is essential for upgrading the country’s health system. But there are problems in setting up, running, and programming the system, which requires coordination and collaboration at different levels of management. The participants considered the experience of Tehran University of Medical Sciences to apply to the whole country for resolving the problems and defects.