Background: Avoidable hospitalizations (AHs) are defined as hospitalizations that could have been prevented through timely and effective services. AHs are, therefore, an indicator used to evaluate the access and effectiveness of primary health care services. Methods: A retrospective time-series study spanning 8 years (2006–2013) was conducted to determine the relationship between AHs and gender, age, and access to primary health care physicians in rural areas in Tehran province, the capital of Iran. The total number of avoidable hospitalizations was 22,570; logistic regression was estimated for each year separately. Results: Total hospitalizations and AHs increased during the study period, especially during the first 3 years of the study. AHs, as a percentage of total hospitalizations, did not change significantly throughout the study years. This value was 22.3% during the first year of study and varied between 17% and 19.6% from 2007 to 2013. No statistically significant relationship was seen between AH occurrence and access to a physician during the study years. Conclusion Increasing access to primary health care physicians cannot necessarily result in decreased AHs. Considering the factors influencing AHs while designing and implementing the family physicians program is important to achieve the expected results regarding the effectiveness of primary health care services.

OBJECTIVES: General practitioners (GPs) retention in rural and underserved areas highly effects on accessibility of healthcare facilities across the country. Education seems to be a critical factor that affects GPs retention. Thus, the present study aimed at inquiry into medical education challenges that limit their retention in rural and underserved areas. METHODS: A qualitative approach was applied for the aim of this study. Data were gathered via 28 semi-structured interviews with experts at different levels of Iran’s health system as well as GPs who retained and refused to retain working in rural settings. Interviews mainly were performed face-to-face and in some cases via telephone during 2015 and then coded and analyzed using content analysis approach. RESULTS: Iran’s medical education is faced with several challenges that were categorized in four main themes including student selection, medical students’ perception about their field of study, education setting and approach, curriculum of medical education. According to experts this challenges could results in making GP graduates disinterested for practicing in rural and underserved areas. CONCLUSIONS: Challenges that were found could have negative effects on retention. Modification in student’s perception about rural practice could be done via changing education setting and approach and curriculum. These modifications could improve GPs retention in rural and underserved areas.
Curriculum ; Delivery of Health Care ; Education ; Education, Medical* ; General Practitioners* ; Humans ; Iran* ; Rural Health ; School Admission Criteria ; Telephone

OBJECTIVES: One of the main objectives of the Targeted Subsidies Law (TSL) in Iran was to improve equity in healthcare financing. This study aimed at measuring the effects of the TSL, which was implemented in Iran in 2010, on equity in healthcare financing. METHODS: Segmented regression analysis was applied to assess the effects of TSL implementation on the Gini and Kakwani indices of outcome variables in Iranian households. Data for the years 1977-2014 were retrieved from formal databases. Changes in the levels and trends of the outcome variables before and after TSL implementation were assessed using Stata version 13. RESULTS: In the 33 years before the implementation of the TSL, the Gini index decreased from 0.401 to 0.381. The Gini index and its intercept significantly decreased to 0.362 (p < 0.001) 5 years after the implementation of the TSL. There was no statistically significant change in the gross domestic product or inflation rate after TSL implementation. The Kakwani index significantly increased from -0.020 to 0.007 (p < 0.001) before the implementation of the TSL, while we observed no statistically significant change (p=0.81) in the Kakwani index after TSL implementation. CONCLUSIONS: The TSL reform, which was introduced as part of an economic development plan in Iran in 2010, led to a significant reduction in households’ income inequality. However, the TSL did not significantly affect equity in healthcare financing. Hence, while measuring the long-term impact of TSL is paramount, healthcare decision-makers need to consider the efficacy of the TSL in order to develop plans for achieving the desired equity in healthcare financing.
Delivery of Health Care* ; Economic Development ; Family Characteristics ; Gross Domestic Product ; Healthcare Financing* ; Inflation, Economic ; Iran ; Jurisprudence ; Regression Analysis* ; Social Justice ; Socioeconomic Factors

OBJECTIVES: Increasing interest has emerged in the use of subjective well-being as a development indicator and for the evaluation of public policies. The aim of this study was to assess life and health satisfaction and their determinants in the adult population of Iran. METHODS: We conducted a survey of a sample of 3,150 adults at least 18 years of age in Tehran, the capital of Iran. The subjects were selected using a stratified random sampling method, and they were interviewed face-to-face at their usual residence by trained interviewers. Life satisfaction was used as a measure of subjective well-being. We used ordinary least square regression models to assess the associations of life and health satisfaction with socio-demographic variables. RESULTS: On a 0-10 scale, the mean (standard deviation) scores for life and health satisfaction were 6.93 (2.54) and 7.18 (1.97), respectively. The average score for life satisfaction in females was 0.52 points higher than in males. A U-shaped relationship was found between age and life satisfaction, with respondents 35 to 44 years of age having the lowest average level of life satisfaction. Satisfaction with life and health among divorced respondents was significantly lower than among never-married and married participants. The scores for life satisfaction in respondents who rated their health status as poor were 3.83 points lower than in those who rated their health status as excellent. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of the population of Tehran was satisfied with their life and health. Self-rated health status had the greatest impact on life satisfaction.
Adult* ; Divorce ; Female ; Humans ; Iran* ; Male ; Methods ; Personal Satisfaction ; Public Policy ; Surveys and Questionnaires

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to measure the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and to evaluate the factors affecting HRQoL in individuals with health insurance in Tehran, Iran. METHODS: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted using the 3-level EuroQol 5-dimensions (EQ-5D) questionnaire. In order to estimate the determinants of HRQoL, information about participants’ demographic, socioeconomic, and health status was gathered. The cluster sampling technique was used to collect data from May to June, 2016. The chi-square test and weighted least squares method were employed for data analysis. Data were analyzed using Stata version 11.0. RESULTS: A total of 600 Iranians with insurance completed the study, of whom 327 (54.5%) were male and 273 (45.5%) were female. The mean age of the participants was 41.48 years (standard deviation [SD], 14.60 years). Meanwhile, the mean duration of education was 12.36 years (SD, 4.68 years). The mean EQ-5D score was 0.74 (SD, 0.16). The most common health problems in the participants were anxiety/depression (42.3%), followed by pain/discomfort (39.2%). Sex, age, years of schooling, income, chronic disease, and body mass index had a significant effect on HRQoL (p<0.05). Healthy insured individuals, on average, had a HRQoL score 0.119 higher than that of people with a chronic disease, all else being equal (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Among all determinants of HRQoL, chronic disease was found to be the highest priority for interventions to improve the health status of Iranians with insurance. This finding can help policymakers and health insurance organizations improve their planning to promote the HRQoL of individuals with insurance and society as a whole in Iran.
Body Mass Index ; Chronic Disease ; Education ; Female ; Humans ; Insurance ; Insurance, Health* ; Iran* ; Least-Squares Analysis ; Male ; Methods ; Quality of Life* ; Statistics as Topic

Climate Change ; Africa ; Environmental Health