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

International hospital performance assessment: developing a questionnaire

Background: As there is no valid questionnaire for assessing international hospital performance from providers' perspective, this study aimed to develop a reliable as well as valid questionnaire for Iranian hospitals

Materials and Methods: To develop the International Hospital Performance Assessment [IHPA] questionnaire, literature review did and comparative study conducted for extracting relevant items from twenty leader hospitals in all over the world. After that, to design the questionnaire and estimate its content validity index and ratio [CVI, CVR], 20 medical tourism experts selected. Then, questionnaire's construct validity [CVI and CVR] determined by using SPSS version 21 as well as exploratory factor analysis. Finally, reliability assessed by calculating Cronbach's alpha coefficient

Results: The content validity of the questionnaire determined as [CVI= 0.85, CVR= 0.60]. According to expert opinion 5 dimensions of the questionnaire selected from World Health Organization hospital performance framework, which were clinical effectiveness and patient safety, efficiency, patient centeredness, governance responsiveness and even staff orientation. Furthermore, results of exploratory factor analysis showed that the questionnaire contained 45 items and Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.687

Conclusion: Results indicated that standard IHPA questionnaire with 45 items in 5 dimensions developed as a tool for measuring hospitals' quality of care in Iran

[ relation between insurance funds of medical service insurance and heart inpatients costs in Karaj hospitals [Iran]]

Nowadays in Iran the majority of health and medical budget is spent on contagious diseases, especially in the field of heart disease diagnosis. This research aimed at surveying the relation between insurance funds of medical service and heart inpatients costs in the second half of the year 1388. The research is through applied method and its methodology is descriptive analysis in which nine hospitals have been under survey counting all members of society under study. The data were extracted from patients' files through a checklist and the reliability of checklist was confirmed by specialists of health services management field and the managers of medical service insurance. The data analysis was performed through SPSS software. The findings show that self-employed fund was the most cost mean [44111000 Rials] and fund of other parts was the least [12067000 Rials]. In all insurance funds, except funds of other social strata, the most costs were related to hoteling costs. Considering the fact that self-employed fund allocated the most average of heart diseases cost, cultural reengineering by medical services insurance organization and more surveillance insurance organization on side arrangement organization has become the most effective solution for controlling the cost of sanitation and increasing revenue services for insured people. Instruction insured people and society about prevention and remedy diseases at primary phase can decrease the cost of bed ridden.