Population and mortality profile in the Islamic Republic of Iran, 2006–2035

Background: The Islamic Republic of Iran has encountered demographic and epidemiological changes as a result of the transformation of health measures.

Aims: This study aimed to calculate the population and mortality in the Islamic Republic of Iran during the years 2006 to 2035.

Methods: We carried out a cross-sectional analytical–descriptive account. We calculated the age and sex structure of the Iranian population using census data as well as mathematical methods. The crude and causal death rates were calculated and their 20-year trend was predicted using the Lee–Carter model.

Results: In 2035, the age group 60 years and over will reach 17.6% of the total population. Endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases will be the biggest causes of an increase in the rate of death in the general population. The largest decline in cause of death is for unintentional injuries.

Conclusions: Noncommunicable diseases will increase as the aging population grows. Identification of their primary causal and risk factors can, therefore, contribute to prevention and control

[Assessment of the Iran health innovation system and provide corrective suggestions]

Objective [s]: This study aimed to do institutional mapping of the health innovation system in Iran

Methods: This was a qualitative study. The study was carried out in four stages including determining the main organizations in the national health innovation system, identifying how they work, assessing communication among different organizations, and ultimately determining failure of health innovation system

Results: The results indicated that the financial relationship in higher layers was stronger but it was decreased in lower layers. In the field of administrative communication, there was more vertical relationship in the upper layers. There were better relationships among middle layers

Conclusion: In general we can conclude that there were some defects in different functions of the national system of innovation in health sector in Iran. These defects were present in the number and type of activity and relationship existing among institutions involved in different layers. To promote innovation in the health sector these defects must be dealt with

[Challenges of determining basic health insurance package in Iran]

To assess challenges of determining basic health insurance package in Iran. We interviewed a purposeful sample of 20 participants from 7 main stakeholders in Iranian health insurance system in 2009. We asked about main challenges of determining basic health insurance package in Iran and used the framework method for the analysis. Agreement on General Principle, determining Criteria to define Basic Health Insurance Package, Organization, Financing, Payment System, Regulations, Benefits range, Composition and manner of population coverage, Coordination, Behavior, Policy Making, Surveillance and Control had been introduced as main Challenges of Determining Basic Health Insurance Package in Iran. Determining an appropriate health insurance package in Iran needs a systematic view and a long term plan. The plan should aim to respond to the above concerns

[Information criteria for basic health insurance package in Iran from health insurance organization's view]

Neglecting to define important criteria in developing a basic health insurance package and to notice their real roles will result in defining a package which is politically unacceptable, non-economical, technically inefficient or mixed of them. Therefore development of basic health insurance package should be according to appropriate composition of influential criteria. This study was carried out to determining Information Criteria to define basic health insurance package and their importance. The study was qualitative, descriptive, and cross-sectional, conducted in 2008. At the first stage 20 health insurance experts and involved people were interviewed. At the second stage the notified criteria in these interviews in addition to other criteria, revealed from conceptual study were viewed by experts of Iranian basic health insurance companies [52 people]. The first stage data were analyzed in Atlas-Ti and the second stage data were analyzed in SPSS. The revealed criteria from the first stage were classified as 32 criteria in six groups. Iranian health insurance experts believed that most important factors involved in defining Iranian basic health insurance package were applicability, the view of politic individuals and groups, interventions cost, and patients' membership in vulnerable patient groups. The study participants indicated cost-effectiveness of services, effectiveness of services, quality of evidence, and equity as the main factors by which the basic health insurance package can be defined appropriately. According to results the current influence of some criteria such as the view of politic individuals and groups, and vulnerable patient groups were much more than their appropriate influence in defining Iranian basic health insurance package. Also some criteria like cost- effectiveness, quality of evidence, long-term sustainability, and safety of manipulations were focused less than what was appropriate for defining the package. According to the results of this study it is suggested that for defining basic health insurance package more appropriately, cost-effectiveness studies should be facilitated and the results of such studies should replace such criteria like the influence of different groups in defining basic health insurance package

[Utilization of research results at office of deputy minister for management and resources development and identification of obstacles]

The main purpose of this project was exactly identification of the applied researches done by different offices of the Iranian Ministry of Health, Remedies and Medical Education in the deputy between September of 1998 to September of 2003, considering their results and the degree of utilization by the users. This project had 4 steps .The 1[st] step was a questionnaire for identifying some demographic data .Study of research final reports was the 2[nd] step, gathering special goals and tangible products .In the 3[rd] one, an interview was made with the researches main users .The last step was to analyze the findings and to emphasize on systematic obstacles with relevant suggestions. For total of 23 researches, about $ 462000 paid .For 16 researches a public announcement have done, the reminders had restrict announces .Among the researchers, 17 were selected by their proposals, but 6 ones just by their Cerculem Vitaes .Only the degrees of 17 researchers were relevant to the research subjects. The sum of all researches done in this period, the utilization capability was [High], but the utilization indeed was [Low] .About 38%of them were faced with some managerial obstacles and 62%had some kinds of operational ones .According to the results, choosing better subjects, documenting the main goals of the research, selecting the researchers based on their experiences and their proposals, attention to operational agenda, stability of policies, and higher administration commitment are useful suggestions for removing the obstacles