Epidemiological and clinical aspects of patients with hydatid cyst in Iran.

Hydatid cyst is one of the most common Zoonotic diseases occurs due to infection with larval stage of Echinococcus granulosus parasite. Based on epidemiological reasons, World Health Organization has introduced Iran as a hyperendemic region. This study aims to investigate the clinico-epidemiological characteristics of patients with hydatid cyst in Iran. We used information registered in the surveillance system of the Iranian Ministry of Health and Medical Education attributed to Mazandaran province. Data were entered into SPSS software V.20 after refinement and analyzed using percent frequency, mean, standard deviation and statistical tests such as Chi-square and Exact Fisher tests. Mean (SD), minimum and maximum ages of the participants were 42.2 (17.2), 6 and 72 years respectively. Most of them were female (63.4 %) and mean (SD) number of cysts was 1.6 ± 0.8. Of them, 51.2 % living in rural areas and 58.5 % of them were housewives. Liver was the most common organ involved. The main diagnostic procedures were radiography and CT scanning. The majority of participants (73.2 %) consumed unsterilized vegetables. This study showed women more susceptible compared to men probably because of more exposure to parasites through vegetables. We also found the liver as the most affected organ in hydatid cyst patients.

Awareness and Observance of Patient Rights from the Perspective of Iranian Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Recipients of healthcare services have rights, which must be acknowledged and protected. Such rights include observance of acceptable patient physical, mental, spiritual, and social needs guided by commonly accepted rules and regulations. The objective of this study was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of awareness rates and observance of patient rights in Iran from the perspective of the patient. METHODS: In this study, various references such as Medline (PubMed), Scopus, Scientific Information Database (SID), Google scholar, Magiran, and IranMedex were searched (from August to December 2015). Heterogeneity was assessed using the Q statistic. English and Persian search keywords and combinations included terms such as "patient bill of rights, patient rights, Iranian patient bill of rights, and Persian patient rights." A meta-analysis of the primary search sources was accomplished using STATA (version 11.0). RESULTS: Initial review included 20 articles of which 12 assessed observance rates of patient rights and three described service awareness rates of recipients concerning their personal rights. Five articles covered both topics and had an estimated 54.2% coverage based on the results of meta-analysis and the random-effects model with the heterogeneity. CONCLUSION: An Observance rate of patient bills of rights was considered somewhat adequate. However, contradictions in findings noted in this study suggest deficiencies do exist and need to be resolved. There appears a need to better describe and increase awareness rates of healthcare services by patients concerning their own bill of rights.

Patients' Expectations and Perceptions of Service Quality in the Selected Hospitals.

BACKGROUND: Hospital's success depends on patients' expectations, perceptions, and judgment on the quality of services provided by hospitals. This study was conducted to assess the patients' perceptions and expectations from the quality of inpatient health care in Vali-Asr hospital, Ghaemshahr, and Imam Khomeini and Shafa Hospitals, Sari. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study is applied regarding the objective of the study. Considering the research methodology, it is a descriptive - analytical study. The sample of this study consists of 600 patients with at least 24 hours of being hospitalized in internal, surgery, women, and children sectors of Vali-Asr, Ghaemshahr, Imam Khomeini, and Shafa Hospitals. Using random sampling method, the classifications relevant to the size of each class were selected. The data required was collected through the standard SERVQUAL questionnaire and then it was analyzed using the SPSS software. RESULTS: The overall mean value and standard deviation of expectations were equal to 10.4 and 28, respectively. The mean value for the field of perception was 69.2 and the relevant standard deviation was 26. In terms of patients and hospital visits in concrete cases, the highest priority is related to empathy. The second priority is related to physical appearance, the third priority is related to responsiveness, the fourth priority is related to assurance, and the lowest priority is related to the reliability of the SERVQUAL approach. Examining the gap between patients' perceptions and expectations, the widest gap was observed in the Vali-Asr Hospital with the mean and SD (-92.0±39.0) and the lowest gap was observed in Shafa Hospital with the mean value of (-39.9±44.0). According to The Kruskal-Wallis test, the difference observed in these three hospitals were significant. CONCLUSION: The results showed that patients' expectations had not been met in any of the examined dimensions and their consent has not been achieved. It seemed that necessary for managers and relevant authorities to plan and pay special attention to this important issue.

Determining the status quo of infection prevention and control standards in the hospitals of iran: a case study in 23 hospitals.

BACKGROUND: Applying Prevention and Control of Infection (PCI) standards in hospitals reduces probable risks to patients, staff and visitors; it also increases efficiency, and ultimately improves productivity of hospitals. OBJECTIVE: The current study aimed to determine the status quo of international standards of PCI in hospitals located in the north of Iran. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 23 hospitals. Data collection tool was a questionnaire with confirmed validity and reliability. . In this regard, 260 managers, section supervisors and infection control nurses participated in the study according to census basis. SPSS software version 16 was employed to analyze the data through descriptive and analytical statistics. RESULTS: Among the studied hospitals, 18 hospitals were public. Hospitals enjoyed 77.2% of leadership and programming, 80.8% of focus of programs, 67.4% of isolating methods, 88.2% of hand health and protection techniques, 78.8% of improving patient's safety and quality, 90.3% of training personnel, and 78.7% of the average status quo of PCI standards. CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed that PCI standards were significantly observed in the studied hospitals and that there were necessary conditions for full deployment of nosocomial infection surveillance.