Presenting a Model for the Development of Public-Private Partnerships in the Health System through Electronic Word-of-Mouth

This study aimed to design a model for developing health system partnerships by using electronic word-of-mouth communication. This issue has recently attracted the attention of researchers and managers of the country’s public and private sectors.

In this qualitative study, the meta-composite method and Delphi technique were employed. The data collection tools included library studies and review of articles related to the research background. First, relevant information and findings were extracted from reliable national and international scientific databases using the meta-combination method, and then the opinions of the expert panel were recorded using a questionnaire. After two stages of opinion polling, the initial findings of refinement and unnecessary items were merged or deleted. Finally, the components and indicators affecting the development of health system partnerships were identified and categorized through word-of-mouth communication.

Out of 66 primary codes extracted by metacombination method, 36 final indicators were identified by the experts using Delphi method. The identified indicators were then divided into three categories and nine components including Creation Factors with “structural and contextual, economic and financial, communication, and interactive” components, Diffusion Factors with “organizational and institutional, legal and contractual, awareness, and trust building” components, as well as Impact Factors with “legal and regulatory, technical and specialized, and acceptability and effectiveness” components.

A new model and perspective was presented for developing health system partnerships through electronic word-of-mouth communication, so that the enormous economic, social, and cultural potentials of the public, private, and charitable sectors may have been exploited for developing health and treatment through using new marketing tools and modern technologies.