Establishing research impact assessment in Iran: The first report from a non-high-income country.

Background: This study presents the first report on research impact assessment (RIA) in non-high-income countries, undertaken as a pilot initiative in 2021. Within it, we aimed to explore the feasibility of employing the 'payback' model for evaluating the impact of health research and enhancing the accountability of universities. We focussed on three key impact domains: 'production of decision support documents and knowledge-based products,' 'implementation of research results,' and 'health and economic impact.' Methods: We adopted a case study approach to assess the impact of 5334 health research projects conducted by researchers from 18 universities from 2018 to 2020. Researchers were required to submit evidence related to at least one of the specified impact domains; six scientific committees verified and scored claimed impacts at the national level. Results: Only 25% of the assessed projects achieved impact in at least one domain, with the production of decision support documents and knowledge products being the most reported impact. Notably, economic impact was verified in only three projects, indicating room for improvement in this area. Technology research exhibited the highest acceptance rate of claimed impact, suggesting a positive correlation between technology-focused projects and impactful outcomes. Conclusions: This study demonstrates the feasibility of employing a case study approach and the 'payback' model to evaluate the impact of health research, even within the constraints of a moderately equipped research infrastructure. These findings underscore the potential of integrating RIA into the governance of health research in Iran and other non-high-income countries, as well as the importance of using RIA to assess the accountability of health research systems, guide the allocation of research funding, and advocate for the advancement of health research. The study sets a precedent for future assessments in similar contexts and contributes to the ongoing global dialogue on the societal impact of health research.

Healthcare System Responsiveness in Covid-19: An Experience from Capital City of I.R of Iran.

Background: As a public health emergency, coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) is a threat to our future; therefore, appropriate health system responsiveness (HSR), as an important criterion, is of crucial importance. This study aimed to evaluate the different dimensions of responsiveness of healthcare centers, both public and private, providing COVID-19 services in Tehran. Methods: Following a cross-sectional design, this study was conducted in Tehran (the capital city of I.R. Iran) from May to November 2020. Data were collected using the World Health Organization (WHO) questionnaire on responsiveness. Two hundred questionnaires were filled out through face-to-face or phone call interviews in two public and private hospitals (100 in each) providing Covid-19 services. Participants were selected using the convenience sampling technique among all those who received Covid-19 services during the past six months in the city of Tehran. Results: The mean age of participants was 45.9 ± 15.9 and 51.5% were female. On an average, 52.6% of the respondents evaluated at least one dimension of responsiveness as appropriate and/or strongly appropriate. Communication obtained the highest score (58.2%), followed by confidentiality (56.5%), dignity (56%), and prompt attention (52%). Meanwhile, autonomy and choice were evaluated as poor (moderate, weak, and strongly weak) by 63.5 and 52.5% of respondents. There was no significant association between the type of healthcare center (i.e., public or private) and responsiveness (p-value = 0.896). However, there was a significant difference between gender (p-value = 0.036) and education level (p-value = 0.014) with responsiveness. According to the respondents, prompt attention and choice were the most and least important dimensions, respectively. Conclusions: Evaluation of HSR in the era of COVID-19 not only provides a tool for qualitative assessment of services but also plays an important role in providing feedback to policymakers to adopt effective policies.

Iranian nongovernmental organizations' initiatives in COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: With the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus crisis worldwide, including Iran, the need for corona prevention and treatment has become a national priority. With many businesses closed in the wake of COVID-19 and job losses and declining incomes, vulnerable individuals' and families' access to the minimum wage and healthcare facilities is falling, and their health is exposed to a great risk. In Iran, a significant number of vulnerable groups are supported by nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). This study is designed to understand the performance of NGOs after the onset of the COVID-19 crisis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was carried out based on qualitative research between June and September 2020 in Tehran. This study was conducted using individual interviews with 33 managers and experts of 24 active NGOs providing services to vulnerable groups and a member of an NGO network. Data were analyzed using content analysis. RESULTS: Two main themes of service initiatives were extracted: (a) service initiatives to protect the target population against COVID-19 infection and its aftermath and (b) management initiatives to retain staff, finance, and adapt the organization to crisis situations. Service initiatives included five categories of health service initiatives, livelihood, employment, education, and leisure initiatives, while organizational management initiatives include human resource management, financial management, and communication with organizations. CONCLUSION: The COVID-19 breadth and its special features have set it apart from other crises and have led NGOs to work hard on several fronts to care for the most vulnerable people against the epidemic and its consequences and maintain the performance of their organizations. The unique role of cyberspace has made it one of the definitive pillars of the activities of NGOs, not only during the epidemic but also after its end.

Determining the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy interventions based on the transdiagnostic approach in the treatment of common mental health problems: Presenting an experience from the Islamic Republic of Iran.

INTRODUCTION: There is growing support to develop transdiagnostic approaches that provide new insights into mental health problems and cut across the existing traditional diagnostic boundaries all over the world. The present study was conducted to test the transdiagnostic cognitive behavioral therapy (TCBT) approach in treating patients with common mental health problems and evaluate its effectiveness compared to the current treatment settings of the healthcare system. METHODS: A randomized controlled trial was conducted in Semnan Province, north of Iran. The study took pace in urban health centers. A sample of 520 Iranian adults, tested as positive on the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, were enrolled. Participants who received a score above the cut-off point in any of the three mental health disorders (depression, anxiety, or obsessive compulsive disorder [OCD]) based on the locally validated study instrument were randomly allocated to the study. The intervention group received TCBT during eight sessions provided by trained general health service providers without previous mental health training; the standby control group received Mental Health Services as Usual (MHSU). The post-test interviews were conducted using the study instrument after the completion of both group treatments. RESULTS: A total of 459 individuals (87.8% female) ultimately entered the study. The withdrawal rate was 24% (53 participants in the TCBT and 56 in the MHSU). Reduction in depression, anxiety, and OCD symptoms was significant within each group and when comparing TCBT and MHSU (mean difference). CONCLUSION: This trial recommends that the transdiagnostic CBT approach can be effective in improving common mental health problems and functions among individuals by trained general healthcare providers in the primary healthcare system. The results can be more useful in decision making when defining the process of providing mental healthcare in the National Primary Healthcare System.

Peer Review Research Evaluation in Iran: Strengths, Weaknesses and Suggestions.

BACKGROUND: Peer based evaluation is a qualitative assessment done in different fields and levels. The aim of this study was to express the results of peer review evaluation in selected Iranian clinical research centers. METHODS: Four main domains consist of Leadership and governance, Structure, Knowledge products and Impact in thirty Iranian clinical research centers were evaluated based on peer review in 2019. Strengths and weak points with peer's suggestions were extracted based on qualitative analysis. RESULTS: Governance and impact domains have been more weak points than others. Equipment, facilities, physical space and human resource have been desirable in many research centers, and also there were some good developments in research publication. The most important suggestion was pay more attention to technology in planning, infra-structure and impact levels. CONCLUSION: Review missions of clinical research centers with more emphasis on health impact is necessary to clinical improvement.

Local perceptions of mental health in Iran, Semnan Province.

INTRODUCTION: Understanding local perceptions of mental health in different cultures and contexts is crucial for designing and implementing appropriate mental healthcare services. METHODS: This qualitative study was conducted to investigate local perceptions of mental health in two highly populated provincial districts in Iran. Data were collected using the free list technique and interviews. A two-phase training workshop was held with the research team at a local health center, followed by a pilot study with the participation of six subjects. All the interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and then analyzed by the third and fourth authors in DEDOOSE. RESULTS: A total of 30 individuals (20 in the free list and 10 as key informants in the interviews) took part in the study. Based on the study findings and the key informants' ideas, mental health problems were categorized into three categories of depression, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). CONCLUSIONS: Mental health problems appear to be expressed in different ways and with different symptoms in different cultures, and there is a distinct need for examining mental disorders in each culture and nationality separately using culturally appropriate tools for disease screening.

Knowledge production in Iranian cardiovascular research centers: A way to reduce the burden of disease.

BACKGROUND: According to the World Health Organization (WHO), non-communicable diseases (NCDs) including cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) will be responsible for almost 70% of all deaths in 2020. Therefore, knowledge production to find suitable ways to prevent, diagnosis, and effectively cover this disease in research centers is mandatory. Therefore, the present study is carried out with the aim to examine the results of studies performed in three years in Iranian cardiovascular centers. METHODS: Iranian cardiovascular research centers with more than three years of activity from 2015 to 2017 were evaluated. Research output, international collaboration, high quality publication, total citation, and average h-index (H) were evaluated and scored. RESULTS: 23 cardiovascular diseases research centers (CVDRCs) related to 15 universities of Medical Sciences (UMSs) were evaluated. The mean and standard deviation (SD) of age of the research activities in CVDRCs was 11.47 ± 8.60 years. Based on the research ranking, the first three centers were Isfahan Cardiovascular Research Center, Iran, Tehran Heart Center, and Shaheed Rajaei Cardiovascular Medical and Research Center, Iran, respectively, all of which have independent budget line. However, there is not any CVD research center in some provinces such as Zanjan, Kurdistan, Lorestan, and Arak, Iran. CONCLUSION: Mission oriented research activities in Iranian cardiovascular research centers may be effective in reducing the burden of CVDs. Moreover, establishment of CVD research centers in high risk areas may be useful.

Knowledge production in Iranian social determinants of health research centers: Toward health equity.

Background: As the partner country of the WHO Commission on Social Determinants of Health (SDH), Iran has expanded the knowledge based on the social determinants of health- as one of commission recommendations- by establishing SDH research centers to collect evidence and design responses to the existing health equity gap. Considering the importance of the role assigned to these research centers, this study aimed to present the knowledge production of SDH research centers and determine their status in Iran's health research system (HRS). Methods: In this cross sectional study, research performance of SDH research centers was assessed based on international research indicators and compared with national medical research centers and HRS knowledge production. Then, SDH research centers were scored and ranked based on the research indicators. Results: Out of 37 approved SDH research centers, the knowledge performance of 33 research centers was reviewed. The total number of academic members was 334. The number of these centers' indexed published articles and the proportion of published articles per academic member have been doubled from 483 and 1.44 in 2015 to 984 and 2.94 in 2017. In this period, the number of citations of the past 5-year publications was 4355 according to Scopus database. The proportions of these centers' high-quality publication (Q1) and international collaborations per published articles were 14.8 and 8.25. In ranking, the first to third ranks were occupied by SDH research centers of Kermanshah, Kurdistan, and Qazvin Universities of Medical Sciences. Conclusion: Although knowledge production seems desirable in mentioned research centers, it is essential to create a virtual research network to increase intersectoral collaboration and develop strategies to solve the puzzle of gathering evidence on the social determinants affecting health inequities.

Introduction of a Community-Based Participatory Model for Women's Mental Health Promotion in Iran: A-Z.

BACKGROUND: To address the disproportionate burden of poor mental health among women, we present a community based participatory research (CBPR) model used to develop a women's mental health promotion program for Iranian women. METHODS: This is a multi-phase interventional study using a CBPR approach among married women age 18-65 living in Tehran. First, participants described the process of women's mental health. Subsequent steps involved participatory needs assessment, priority setting, intervention design, and evaluation. Finally, a conceptual model of women's mental health promotion was developed. RESULTS: "Seeking comfort" emerged as the core process in women's mental health. To promote mental health, women prioritized training on coping mechanisms to deal with stress. Women receiving this training used more problem-based coping methods and reported a higher quality of life than the comparison group. CONCLUSIONS: The resulting conceptual model illustrates the utility of using a CBPR approach to develop women's mental health promotion programs.

Social Determinants of Positive Mental Health in Iranian Society: A Qualitative Approach.

BACKGROUND: Based on the World Health Organization definition, mental health is the absence of mental disorders and presence of positive mental health (PMH). As the social determinants of mental disorders and PMH are not the same in different cultures and in order to promote community mental health, social determinants of PMH should be identified, which is the aim of this study. METHODS: This was a qualitative study conducted in Tehran. Data were collected through eight focus group discussions with the general population aged between 30 and 60 years and ten semi-structured interviews with mental health professionals from Tehran. Data were analyzed through directional content analysis using Dedoose software. RESULTS: Fifty-one lay people and ten mental health professionals participated in this study. The process of content analysis resulted in two main themes: (a) structural determinants of PMH which consist of socioeconomic and political context and socioeconomic position and (b) intermediary determinants of PMH which consist of working condition, living condition, family factors, lifestyle, psychosocial factors, and health system. CONCLUSIONS: Improvement of living conditions, with emphasis on working conditions as one of the intermediary social determinants, will play an important role in promoting PMH.

Assessment of Environmental Health Research Centers in Iran due to knowledge production and utilization.

BACKGROUND: Knowledge production in environmental health promotion is one of the most important goals at the national level and establishing environmental health research centers (EHRCs) is one of the main strategies that will lead to achieving this goal. In this study, we are going to present the results of knowledge production and research performance evaluation of EHRCs in Iran. METHODS: In this cross sectional study, a specific check list has been used to assess Knowledge production and utilization through annual evaluations undertaken by research centers in Iran. This article has the results of the 4-year evaluation (2011-2014). RESULTS: The total number of EHRCs under the supervision of universities of medical sciences (UMS) is 34. The number of faculty members at these centers is 291 and the total approved projects by research council of UMS during 2011-2014, were 538. The number of published article increased from 282 in 2011 to 709 in 2014. During this period, the number of citations to EHRCs' articles was 4488 in Scopus database. The number of EHRCs' articles which have been referred in text books were 39. The proportion of published articles per academic member in environmental health has been 1.8 per year. CONCLUSION: Based on research performance evaluation, knowledge production and research is desirable in EHRCs, but research utilization to health environmental promotion is still inadequate and should be assessed by qualitative evaluation.

Priorities of positive mental health promotion in the Iranian community: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Positive Mental Health (PMH) enables people to cope with the common stresses of life and adversity to achieve their full potential and humanity. In many communities, promoting PMH via prioritized interventions has been considered as a key component of public health policies to optimize mental well-being. OBJECTIVE: To set the priorities of interventional programs of Iranian PMH promotion according to the World Health Organization (WHO) Priority Public Health Condition (PPHC) analytical framework. METHODS: This qualitative study was implemented in 2017 in Tehran, Iran and had two main phases. In a qualitative needs-assessment phase, needs of the community's PMH were collected through eight focus group discussions with a general population aged 30 to 60 years-old. In a priority-setting phase, the priorities of PMH were extracted through an expert panel consisting of mental health professionals and policy makers. Data gathering was implemented based on purposeful sampling according to inclusion criteria. Data were analyzed based on directional content analysis using Dedoose software version 7.6.6. RESULTS: Fifty-one people and ten mental health professionals and policymakers participated in this study. The process of data analyzing, categorized PMH needs in 4 main categories, 15 subcategories and 46 codes. The four categories were financial security, social security, healthy lifestyle and promoting psychological factors. In the expert panel, first, the indicators of PMH priority setting were determined and then based on the priority public health condition analytical framework of the World Health Organization, the most important of PMH priority in each level was indicated as "creating job positions" in socioeconomic level, "providing proper working conditions" in differential exposure, "promoting practical life skills training" in the differential vulnerability, "easy and affordable access to mental health services" in differential healthcare outcome. CONCLUSION: Appropriate policymaking and regulation at national level regarding employment, promoting working conditions, and reducing unemployment, promote community PMH as well as expanding accessible and affordable mental health services in the national healthcare system and empowering the community through providing practical life skill courses.

Positive Mental Health from the perspective of Iranian society: A qualitative study.

Background: According to the World Health Organization, mental health relates, not only to the absence of mental disorder, but also to Positive Mental Health. Studies have shown that promoting positive mental health, not only reduces the prevalence and incidence of mental disorders, but also affects the process of treatment and reduces related burden. However, this concept has different interpretations in different cultures, and in many societies, mental health is still considered the absence of mental illness. Thus, the present study was conducted to provide an in-depth understanding of Iranian adults` perspective towards the concept of positive mental health. Materials and Methods: In the present qualitative study, eight focus group discussions (6 to 8 adults in each session) were held consisting of 30 to 60 year-old men and women from Tehran. Data were analyzed in "DeDoose" qualitative software using content analysis. Results: According to the data obtained, participants found no difference between positive mental health and mental health, mostly equating it to the absence of mental disorders and having positive energy, peace in and satisfaction with life. According to the results, positive mental health has four domains of emotional/psychological, spiritual, social, and life skills. Conclusion: Understanding an individual's positive mental health concepts culturally and providing appropriate community based programs can significantly promote the mental health of the community.

Medical Science and Research in Iran.

BACKGROUND: During the last 3 decades, Iran has experienced a rapid population growth and at the same time the health of Iranian people has improved greatly. This achievement was mainly due to training and availability of health manpower, well organized public health network and medical science and research improvement. In this article, we aimed to report the relevant data about the medical science and research situation in Iran and compare them with other countries. METHODS: In this study, after reviewing science development and research indicators in medical sciences with participation of key stakeholders, we selected 3 main hybrid indexes consisting of "Research and Development (R&D) expenditures," "Personnel in Science and Technology sector" and "knowledge generation" for evaluation of medical science and research situation. Data was extracted from reliable databases. RESULTS: Over the past decade, Iran has achieved significant success in medical sciences and for the first time in 2015 based on Scopus index, Iran ranked first in the number of published scientific papers and number of citations in the region and among all Islamic countries. Also, 2% of the world's publications belong to Iran. Regarding innovation, the number of Iranian patents submitted to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) was 3 and 43 in 2008 and 2013, respectively. In these years, the number of personnel in science and technology sectors including post graduate students, researchers and academic members in universities of medical sciences (UMSs) have increased. The female students in medical sciences field account for about twothirds of all students. Also, women comprise about one-third of faculty members. Since 5 years ago, Iran has had growth in science and technology parks. These achievements were attained in spite of the fact that research spending in Iran was still very low (0.5% of gross domestic product [GDP]) due to economic hardships and sanctions. CONCLUSION: Medical science and research development has been at least partially due to health technological development, training and availability of health manpower and improvement of overall health status in Iran compared to other Islamic countries.

Research Ranking of Iranian Universities of Medical Sciences Based on International Indicators: An Experience From I.R. of Iran.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, international ranking systems have been used by diverse users for various purposes. In most of these rankings, different aspects of performance of universities and research institutes, especially scientific performance, have been evaluated and ranked. In this article, we aimed to report the results of research ranking of Iranian universities of medical sciences (UMSs) based on some international indicators in 2015. METHODS: In this study, after reviewing the research indicators of the majority of international ranking systems, with the participation of key stakeholders, we selected eight research indicators, namely research output, high-quality publications, leadership, total citations, citations per paper in 2015, papers per faculty member and h-index. The main sources for data gathering were Scopus, PubMed, and ISI, Web of Science. Data were extracted and normalized for Iranian governmental UMSs for 2015. RESULTS: A total of 18023 articles were indexed in 2015 in Scopus with affiliations of UMSs affiliation. Almost 17% of all articles were published in top journals and 15% were published with international collaborations. The maximum h-index (h-index = 110) belonged to Tehran University of Medical Sciences. The average paper per faculty member was 1.14 (Max = 2.5, Min = 0.13). The mean citation per published articles in Scopus was 0.33. CONCLUSION: Research ranking of Iranian UMSs can create favorable competition among them towards knowledge production.

How to Assess Quality of Research in Iran, From Input to Impact? Introduction of Peer-Based Research Evaluation Model in Iran.

BACKGROUND: Research evaluation is a systematic and objective process to measure relevance, efficiency and effectiveness of research activities, and peer review is one of the most important tools for assessing quality of research. The aim of this study was introducing research evaluation indicators based on peer reviewing. METHODS: This study was implemented in 4 stages. A list of objective-oriented evaluation indicators were designed in 4 axes, including; governance and leadership, structure, knowledge production and research impact. RESULTS: The top 10% medical sciences research centers (RCs) were evaluated based on peer review. Adequate equipment and laboratory instruments, high quality research publication and national or international cooperation were the main strengths in medical sciences RCs and the most important weaknesses included failure to adhere to strategic plans, parallel actions in similar fields, problems in manpower recruitment, knowledge translation & exchange (KTE) in service providers and policy makers' levels. CONCLUSION: Peer review evaluation can improve the quality of research.

Health Research Governance: Introduction of a New Web-based Research Evaluation Model in Iran: One-decade Experience.

BACKGROUND: Governance is one of the main functions of Health Research System (HRS) that consist of four essential elements such as setting up evaluation system. The goal of this study was to introduce a new web based research evaluation model in Iran. METHODS: Based on main elements of governance, research indicators have been clarified and with cooperation of technical team, appropriate software was designed. Three main steps in this study consist of developing of mission-oriented program, creating enabling environment and set up Iran Research Medical Portal as a center for research evaluation. RESULTS: Fifty-two universities of medical sciences in three types have been participated. After training the evaluation focal points in all of medical universities, access to data entry and uploading all of documents were provided. Regarding to mission - based program, the contribution of medical universities in knowledge production was 60% for type one, 31% for type two and 9% for type three. The research priorities based on Essential National Health Research (ENHR) approach and mosaic model were gathered from universities of medical sciences and aggregated to nine main areas as national health research priorities. Ethical committees were established in all of medical universities. CONCLUSION: Web based research evaluation model is a comprehensive and integrated system for data collection in research. This system is appropriate tool to national health research ranking.

Surveying the Knowledge and Practices of Health Professionals in China, India, Iran, and Mexico on Treating Tuberculosis.

Research evidence continues to reveal findings important for health professionals' clinical practices, yet it is not consistently disseminated to those who can use it. The resulting deficits in knowledge and service provision may be especially pronounced in low- and middle-income countries that have greater resource constraints. Tuberculosis treatment is an important area for assessing professionals' knowledge and practices because of the effectiveness of existing treatments and recognized gaps in professionals' knowledge about treatment. This study surveyed 384 health professionals in China, India, Iran, and Mexico on their knowledge and practices related to tuberculosis treatment. Few respondents correctly answered all five knowledge questions (12%) or self-reported performing all five recommended clinical practices "often or very often" (3%). Factors associated with higher knowledge scores included clinical specialization and working with researchers. Factors associated with better practices included training in the care of tuberculosis patients, being based in a hospital, trusting systematic reviews of randomized controlled double-blind trials, and reading summaries of articles, reports, and reviews. This study highlights several strategies that may prove effective in improving health professionals' knowledge and practices related to tuberculosis treatment. Facilitating interactions with researchers and training in acquiring systematic reviews may be especially helpful.

The Role of Medical Research Centers in Health Research System Promotion in I.R. of Iran: 2001-2014.

BACKGROUND: Research centers, defined as organized research units having research as their primary mission, are positioned as an organizational solution to tighten the knowledge to do gap in health research system (HRS). Therefore, this study aims to explore the roles of medical research centers (MRCs) in promoting HRS. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, we reviewed the evaluation results of research performance of MRCs from 2001 to 2014. Data of evaluation indicators (in knowledge production and capacity building domains) were gathered and finally compared for these years. RESULTS: In the mentioned period, the number of medical research centers has grown by more than 11 folds. In the domain of knowledge production, the total number of published articles and published articles in ISI, Web of Science per researcher rose from 0.5 and 0.05 to about 3.5 and 1.2, respectively. The number of indexed articles in scientific international databases has increased more than 66 times and the total number of citations of MRCs' articles has increased to more than 80000. In the domain of capacity building, the trend of workshops and held congresses is ascending. CONCLUSION: MRCs are well empowered in knowledge production in national HRS.