Journal of Evidence Based Health Policy, Management and Economics
Volume:7 Issue: 2, Jun 2023

One of the most frequent medical mistakes that lower patient safety and mortality is medication errors in HIV/AIDS patients. A structured reporting system is necessary for the efficient avoidance of these kinds of mistakes. In order to discover parameters influencing the management of medication mistake reporting in HIV-infected patients, the current research was carried out.

The current research is an example of an applied study that was carried out between 2010 and 2019 utilizing a hybrid (quantitative-qualitative) methodology. First, the primary factors impacting the management of medication mistake reporting in HIV positive patients were collected from a study of the research literature and 35 interviews with experts in the area of treating HIV patients, and a research questionnaire was created utilizing them. Using the Lawshe approach, the questionnaire was sent to and collected from 31 experts in order to assess its content validity. SPSS23 was then used to determine the questionnaire's reliability, which resulted in a Cronbach's alpha value of 0.920. 400 workers who treated HIV/AIDS patients provided information for the data collection. Exploratory factor analysis was used to analyze the data, together with SPSS23 and Lisrel software.

Four factors were found to be important in managing medication mistake reporting in HIV patients, including organizational factors (18 variables), person factors (9 variables), educational factors (10 variables), and communication factors (6 variables). The management of medication mistake reporting in HIV patients was impacted most and least by personal and educational variables, with factor loadings of 0.784 and 0.754, respectively.

It is preferable to concentrate on individual variables (employee-related hurdles, fear of the repercussions of reporting, and others' reactions) rather than addressing all four aspects at once in order to manage medication mistake reporting in HIV positive patients (managers, colleagues, patients).  Managers, policymakers, specialists from behavioral disease counseling centers, and attending physicians should pay greater attention to both the individual (application and development of the integrated HIV management system).

Individuals with the same needs are eligible to use required healthcare services, which is rarely taken into account in health systems. The present research evaluated this issue by investigating the determinants of the need for outpatient healthcare services and subsequent utilization in Kermanshah, western Iran.

This was a before-after cross-sectional study which used two utilization surveys before (2006) and after (2015) the Health Transformation Plan (HTP) in Iran. The surveys were performed in a multi-stage sampling manner, and the data were obtained through face-to-face interviews with household members. 2626 (before) and 2089 (after) subjects who were ≤15 years old completed the surveys before and after the HTP, respectively, and were included in the analysis. The logistic regression was used to analyze the determinants of the needs and utilization of outpatient healthcare services.

The need for outpatient healthcare services increased from 19.73% before the HTP to 27.09% after it. The utilization of such services in this period also increased from 44.78% to 57.95%. The logistic regression analysis showed that most factors caused an inverse relationship between the studied outcomes before and after HTP, except for supplementary insurance, which increased both the need for outpatient services and subsequent use.

Despite the increased utilization of outpatient services, it seems that some groups still have insufficient access to required healthcare services. Future healthcare reform in Iran must provide enough healthcare services to vulnerable groups.

COVID-19 pandemic, the different mutations of the virus, and the emergence of different variants requires that hospitals upgrade their levels of preparedness in managing the crisis. This study aims to provide a method for assessing the level of hospitals’ preparedness in dealing with such situations.

In the initial stage, effective criteria for assessing hospital preparedness were identified through literature review. Following that, the Delphi method was used to obtain the perspectives of 40 experts from the healthcare system in order to validate the criteria. Then, the SWARA (Stepwise Weight Assessment Ratio Analysis) technique was applied to determine the weights of the criteria. Through MABAC (Multi-Attributive Border Approximation Area Comparison) technique, the preparedness of 10 selected hospitals in Tehran was assessed. Finally, using sensitivity analysis, the robustness and reliability of the proposed method were examined.

Results indicated that personnel, their education and work experience, medical equipment, and the emergency networks were critical factors in determining the level of hospital preparedness against COVID-19. Out of the 10 selected hospitals, the Imam Khomeini Hospital was found to have the highest level of preparedness.

This is the first study which recommends a simple and effective tool for assessing the level of preparedness through the hybrid MCDM (Multi-Criteria Decision Making) approach. This tool facilitates the proper allocation of budgets and other resources in strengthening the preparedness of hospitals in handling the situation.

Myocardial infarction (MI) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. In India, incidence of MI is rapidly increasing due to lifestyle changes, ageing and rising healthcare costs. The out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE) for MI care in India can be substantial, as majority of healthcare costs are paid by patients or their families. However, little is known about the actual OOPE incurred by MI patients in tertiary care centres in Pondicherry, South India. This study aims at estimating the OPPE by MI patients attending the tertiary care centre in Pondicherry. The findings can inform policymakers and healthcare providers in developing interventions to reduce the financial burden of MI care in patients and their families.

This was a hospital-based, cross–sectional study conducted on patients attending Cardiology's outpatient department OPD, who had myocardial infarction in the past for about 3 months to 3 years at the time of enrolment in the study. A pre-designed and validated questionnaire was used to collect information regarding socio-demographic details and cost of health expenditures (direct medical and non-medical costs and indirect cost for both the participants and caregivers). Data analysis was done using SPSS24 Software. The median and inter-quartile range was used for assessing the cost of health expenditures.

Study participants underwent invasive and non-invasive procedure as part of their management. More than 93% underwent invasive, and the cost ranges from 1,694.03 USD to 2470.00 USD (1,20,000 INR to 1,75,000 INR). They spent 10.58 USD to 21.17 USD (750 INR to 1,500 INR) for their monthly medication. The travel expenses for each follow-up visit were between 5.64 USD to 70.57 USD (400 INR and 5000 INR). The majority of participants received health insurance or reimbursement of 1834 USD (1,30,000 INR) from their firm, 12.7% of the participants  lost a payment of 162 USD to 776.28 USD (11,500 INR – 55,000 INR).

The cost of the invasive procedure for myocardial infarction patients was 1694.03 USD to 2470.00 USD, which was the major share from the out-of-pocket expenditure compared with the other direct and indirect costs.

This study was conducted with the aim of investigating the challenges of health tourism development in affiliated centers of Iran University of Medical Sciences (IUMS).

This was a qualitative, descriptive, and applied study. The statistical population included all the stakeholders of health tourism at IUMS. The information was obtained through purposeful sampling until data saturation was reached. 20 experts in health tourism at the IUMS were interviewed. Experts confirmed the validity of form and content and coding was done (1),  and the final result was presented.

4 general categories were identified as the challenges of health tourism development in IUMS. They included political, social and economic conditions (communication at the global level and economic development), structural and internal organizational conditions (bureaucratic and administrative, supervisory and communication processes), participation (bureaucratic processes, effective communication between government departments and drafting of strategies and operational plans), and promotion (developing a strategic and coherent plan in the development of marketing and services at the global level and advertising).

While identifying the driving factors and obstacles, It is necessary to develop medical tourism, pay attention to the political, social and economic, structural and intra-organizational conditions, attract participation and improve the existing situation and design services, which are among the challenges of medical tourism development at the Iran University of Medical Sciences.

Occupational stress can cause psychological pressure and subsequently affects the work performance of healthcare workers, especially when unexpected events like contagious disease pandemics occur. Because of the stressful nature of unpredictable life events, it increases the hospital admission rate, which results in heavy workload for employers and this add up to their stress. The present study was conducted with the aim of investigating the relationship between occupational factors and also work stress on occupational performance during covid-19 pandemic using the employees of the Saveh Medical Sciences Health Department in covid-19 epidemic.

The present research is a cross-sectional study that 316 employees from the health department of Saveh Faculty of Medical Sciences were given their opinion in 1401. In order to investigate occupational stress management and employee performance, the standard occupational stress assessment questionnaires and Patterson's performance assessment questionnaires were used, respectively. Data analysis was done using SPSS26 software and through frequency report, mean and standard deviation, linear regression test and Stepwise multiple regression model done.

the average and standard deviation of the total occupational stress management score of the participants was 3.09 ± 0.46, which was in the average range. The variables of the frequency of workplace change and the amount of stress determine 10% of the changes in job performance. ‏‏(‏PES=0/1‏) Examination of the interaction effect of the frequency of workplace change and the amount of stress on job performance did not show a significant relationship. (P-value ‎=0.4) The main effect of the frequency of workplace change (P-value=0.007 ‎ ‏) and the main effect of stress (P-value ‎=0.001) on job performance showed a significant relationship.

The results of this study showed that there was a significant relationship between types of employment and job performance. To be precise, the lowest mean and standard deviation in job performance observed in the contractual employees who had high levels of stress. While, the highest mean and standard deviation regarding job performance were related to the Permanent employeeswho had low levels of stress (P-value ‎ <0.001). Since increasing job security among contractual employees and corporate contracts and also changing their status can improve their performance, in order to manage job stress, introducing more policies regarding employment is suggested.

Breast cancer screening programs are one of the most important methods for the early detection of breast cancer in women. Several studies have been conducted to identify factors affecting breast cancer screening behaviors among Iranian women. This study is conducted to systematically review the factors influencing women’s participation in breast cancer screening programs in Iran.

Papers were collected by using the keywords breast, mammary, screening, early detection, diagnosis*, examination, testing, and Iran from various English-language databases, including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and databases in Persian language including SID and Magiran. The search was limited to the title and abstract of papers published between January 1, 2000, and May 1, 2021. A narrative synthesis was performed to summarize findings of the obtained papers.

In this study, 1345 papers were initially found and, after screening the title, abstract, and full-text, 39 papers were selected. Most of them were cross-sectional (n= 28). Results indicated that socioeconomic factors, individual characteristics, recommendation of health workers, knowledge, Islamic beliefs, support by family, and activities of the Iranian government are frequently mentioned as contributing factors and can be applied to increase participation of Iranian women in breast cancer screening.

  The results demonstrate that lack of knowledge and a positive attitude towards breast cancer screening is a major problem regarding Iranian women's non-participation in the screening programs. Therefore, the need for regular implementation of the national screening program in the country, providing appropriate educational methods to increase women's awareness, removing barriers and improving women's access to health care providers should be the priorities of the Iranian health system to prevent breast cancer.