نشریه مدیریت سلامت
پیاپی 97 (پاییز 1403)

Mobile health (mHealth) applications are recognized as effective tools for health management and improving the quality of healthcare services. However, concerns about data security and privacy remain significant barriers to their widespread adoption. This study aimed to identify security barriers and facilitators influencing the use of mHealth applications from the perspective of paramedical students.

This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in 2023 on 115 paramedical students at Mashhad University of Medical Sciences. Participants were selected through proportional stratified sampling. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire developed by Zhou et al., which was translated, back-translated, and validated in Persian (r = 0.92). The questionnaire included both Likert-scale items and open-ended questions. Descriptive statistics were used for analyzing quantitative data, while thematic analysis was employed to evaluate qualitative responses.

Key security concerns included unauthorized data access and weak privacy policies, which were identified as major barriers to mHealth adoption. In contrast, remote data deletion, transparent security policies, and access controls were recognized as the main facilitators. Thematic analysis of qualitative responses revealed three main themes: security concerns, practical challenges, and suggested strategies for improving security and building trust in mHealth applications.

The study highlights the need for mHealth application designs to emphasize enhanced data security, transparent privacy policies, and user-friendly interfaces to boost user trust and promote adoption. These insights can inform developers and policymakers to optimize mHealth application design and implementation.

A human library is an event where people borrow a living book, or a human book, rather than a traditional book, allowing them to gain insights from their experiences or expertise. The purpose of this scoping review was to identify how to implement and evaluate a human library in the health sector.

In this scoping review, various Persian and English databases were searched using relevant keywords, yielding 2570 articles. After an initial review and screening based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 44 articles were selected for analysis. The findings were synthesized narratively in tables.

The implementation of a human library includes two main components: "preparations and planning", and "human book management". These components include 12 subcategories, such as advertising strategies, obtaining licenses, and criteria for selecting and borrowing human books. The evaluation of a human library includes three components: "evaluation objective", "evaluation tool", and "evaluation challenges", along with 22 subcategories, such as assessing the quality of human books, ensuring confidentiality in assessment, and assessment of program suitability.

This study identified strategies for implementing and evaluating a human library in the health sector. This study also provides a framework for health policymakers and librarians to implement a human health library

With the rapid advancement of technology, there has been a surge in using smartphones by students which has turned in to a very critical social issue worldwide. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the prevalence of smartphone addiction among Iranian high school and university students.

A comprehensive search was conducted in national (SID, MagIran) and international (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science) databases covering both Persian and English studies on smartphone addiction. Full text observational studies which reported smartphone addiction scores and focused on Iranian high school and university students were selected. The methodological quality of studies was assessed using the JBI checklist, heterogeneity among studies was evaluated using Cochran's Q test, and data analysis was performed using STATA version 16.

20 articles, with a combined sample size of 6,901, were included in the analysis. The pooled prevalence of smartphone addiction was 39% (95% CI: 33%-45%). The prevalence rates for smartphone addiction among Iranian high school and university students were 39.5% (95% CI: 32.6%-46.5%) and 36.6% (95% CI: 24.6%-48.6%) respectively (p = 0.677). Meta-regression analysis indicated no significant relationship between smartphone addiction prevalence and sample size (p = 0.834) or publication year (p = 0.648). No significant publication bias was observed either (p = 0.211).

The prevalence of smartphone addiction among Iranian high school and university students was moderate. Educational interventions are essential to equip students with strategies to manage smartphone addiction and mitigate its negative impacts on their lives.

In the dynamic landscape of healthcare management, efficient portfolio management of IT-based health service projects is essential for optimizing resource allocation, mitigating risks, and improving outcomes. This research examines the importance of forecasting and evaluating portfolio management practices in healthcare services, considering growing dependence on information technology to drive innovation and efficiency in service delivery. The main objective was to examine the dimensions and components affecting portfolio management in IT-based health service projects, using an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system.

The research was conducted in two key stages. First, a meta-synthesis analysis was conducted to extract key dimensions and components affecting portfolio management in healthcare IT projects. Subsequently, the identified components were evaluated using an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) to prioritize their importance.

The findings highlight critical factors affecting portfolio management. At the macro level, these include information technology management, cultural factors, and health information technology management. At the micro level, significant components include research and development (R&D) management, project portfolio management, and financial management.

This research provides valuable insights into the multi-level factors shaping portfolio management in IT-based healthcare projects. By understanding and prioritizing these factors, healthcare organizations can enhance their portfolio management strategies, optimize resource allocation, and ultimately improve quality of healthcare services.

International university ranking systems evaluate universities worldwide across various disciplines, and the factors influencing a universitiy's presence in these rankings are of great importance. This study aims to examine the representation of countries in the Shanghai academic ranking of world universities (ARWU) in the fields of medicine and related sciences (with an emphasis on Iran), and its relationship with research and development (R&D) expenditures.

This study employed a descriptive-correlational research design. The statistical population included all universities listed in the Shanghai ranking in the fields of medical and health sciences. University- and country-specific data were collected from the Shanghai ranking website, while R&D expenditures data were gathered from the website of the organization for economic co-operation and development (OECD). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, the Pearson correlation coefficient, and SPSS software.

The Shanghai ranking in the medical and health sciences category consists of six subfields. A total of 83 countries with 867 universities are represented in this ranking system. The United States, China, and the United Kingdom have the highest number of universities included. Only 13 Iranian universities are included in this ranking. The correlation test showed a positive and significant relationship between the number of universities listed and their respective countries’ R&D expenditure (p-value ≤ 0.0001).

To achieve a higher standing in the Shanghai international ranking system, Iran and other countries should strategically plan and allocate a higher percentage of their expenditures to R&D

Healthcare organizations need  immediateand accurate information for decision-making and management planning, which can be obtained  by using hospital information systems reports. The aim of this study was to identify the use of Avab, Sepas and Ghasedak system reports for decision making by in three teaching hospitals in Isfahan.

This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in 2022. The participants included all users of Avab, Sepas and Ghasedak information systems (139 people) who had at least three years of experience working with these systems. The data collection tool was a researcher-made questionnaire, which was designed based on the content of reports available from there above-mentioned systems, and its validity and reliability were confirmed. Results were reported using descriptive statistics.

Head nurses (62.63%) were the most participants. Avab reports were mainly used for planning and decision-making (98%): however, Sepas and Ghasedak reports were primarily used for evaluation and monitoring purposes (7.34% and 6.82%, respectively).

The findings revealed  that information systems reports were used for different purposes. however, the users are not aware about these system's capabilities and need to be trained in order to be more familiar with the processes involved in using such information systems more effectively.

Public health policies place significant emphasis on the prescription process, and ongoing efforts are required to support the development of optimal and adequate prescription practices in teaching hospitals. This study aims to identifyadvantages and challenges of electronic prescription in the teaching hospitals affiliated with Ardabil University of Medical Sciences.

The content analysis approach was used to conduct the current qualitative investigation in 2023. Four beneficiaries (physicians, pharmacy technicians, patients, and insurance experts) participated in this study to analyze the benefits and challenges of electronic prescription. These beneficiaries were purposefully engaged in the interviews. MAXQDA2020 software was used for data analysis.

Participants’ perspectives indicate that the most important benefits are reducing medication errors by eliminating the illegibility of medication orders and enhancing the security and confidentiality of information. The intermittent interruptions, slow internet speed, incomplete infrastructure, difficulty in searching for drugs, lack of warnings regarding drug interactions, and inadequate connection with clinical decision support systems are also the main challenges of this system.

The study demonstrates that the implementation of the electronic prescribing system is essential for enhancing the healthcare system. It is necessary to effectively introduce the benefits of this system and provide the required training in various formats for proper usage by the users. Continuous communication with users and receiving their feedback will lead to the successful implementation of electronic prescription and help eliminate the negative aspects of the system.