Developing a pilot study protocol and lessons from Iran for the integrated and repeated public health surveillance system (IRPHS).

Background: This study aims to design a cost-benefit Integrated and Repeated Public Health Surveillance System (IRPHS) to monitor key health indicators, identify emerging health concerns, and support community health interventions through the provision of timely and systematic data for informed policymaking.

Methods: This study introduced a novel framework for public health surveillance in Iran by integrating multidisciplinary indicators into a single, telephone-based platform. Using structured consensus across 32 expert panels, remote-friendly and policy-relevant indicators were identified and operationalized.

Identifying the reproductive health indicators for population policies worldwide: a scoping review.

Introduction: The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) emphasize the critical need to reduce maternal and infant mortality and improve maternal health, which necessitates access to high-quality reproductive health (RH) services. By developing a comprehensive list of indicators, this study aims to support evidence-based decision-making and policy adjustments that respond to national and international reproductive health needs.

Methods: This is a scoping review from 2000 until 2020 in the international databases including PubMed/Medline, Scopus, Cochrane, WHO website, and ProQuest.

Applications of artificial intelligence and the challenges in health technology assessment: a scoping review and framework with a focus on economic dimensions.

Background: Health Technology Assessment (HTA) is a crucial tool for evaluating the worth and roles of health technologies, and providing evidence-based guidance for their adoption and use. Artificial intelligence (AI) can enhance HTA processes by improving data collection, analysis, and decision-making. This study aims to explore the opportunities and challenges of utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) in health technology assessment (HTA), with a specific focus on economic dimensions.

Identifying knowledge gaps in social determinants of health and related challenges in Iran; 2023.

Background: Socioeconomic determinants of health (SDH) account for about 40% of modifiable determinants of health, followed by health behaviours (30%), clinical care (20%) and physical environmental factors (10%). The "10/90 gap" is the idea that only 10% of global health research is devoted to conditions that account for 90% of the global disease burden. For over a decade, SDH research centres have been established in Iran to generate evidence and address SDH.

Effectiveness of nutrition counseling in managing gestational weight gain and infant outcomes: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Gestational weight gain (GWG) plays a crucial role in maternal and fetal health outcomes during pregnancy. Excessive weight gain is associated with various complications, emphasizing the importance of effective management strategies. Nutrition counseling has been proposed as a promising intervention to optimize GWG and improve maternal and infant outcomes.

Agenda setting for health equity assessment through the lenses of social determinants of health using machine learning approach: a framework and preliminary pilot study.

Introduction: The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) is transforming public health by enhancing the assessment and mitigation of health inequities. As the use of AI tools, especially ML techniques, rises, they play a pivotal role in informing policies that promote a more equitable society. This study aims to develop a framework utilizing ML to analyze health system data and set agendas for health equity interventions, focusing on social determinants of health (SDH).

Insights into Health Program Implementation and Evaluation in Iran: A Brief Review of National Healthcare Programs in Iran.

Background: Healthcare program monitoring can play a key role in evaluating their implementation and identifying their strengths and weaknesses.

Methods: This study was performed with the exploratory sequential mixed methods design in 2023 at Tehran, Iran. The information was categorized into indicators, refining, analysis, interpretation, reporting, and proposed challenges and recommendations.

Identifying and prioritizing inefficiency causes in Iran's health system.

Background: Enhancing efficiency is crucial in addressing the escalating scarcity of healthcare resources. It plays a pivotal role in achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC), with the ultimate goal of ensuring health equity for all. A fundamental strategy to bolster efficiency involves pinpointing the underlying causes of inefficiency within the healthcare system through empirical research.

Exploring the factors influencing the adult population's reluctance to accept the COVID-19 vaccine in Tehran.

Background: While evidence of efficacy, safety, and technical feasibility is crucial when introducing a vaccine, it is equally important to consider the psychological, social, and political factors influencing vaccine acceptance. This study aims to identify the factors contributing to COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among adults in Tehran, Iran.

Methods: The study employed a descriptive and analytical cross-sectional design carried out from 2021 to 2022.

Achieving universal health coverage; implementation of the 'supporting physician retention in deprived areas' programme in Iran.

From the WHO's perspective, trained and motivated healthcare workers can promote community access to essential health services in deprived areas; this could also help achieve the millennium development goals. The concentration of healthcare workers in the capital has caused a lack of them in deprived areas and made delivering services difficult in almost all rural and underdeveloped areas. So, one of the main concerns of all health systems is planning to attract and keep physicians in underprivileged areas.

Challenges in institutionalizing evidence-informed priority setting for health service packages: a qualitative document and interview analysis from Iran.

Background: Setting and implementing evidence-informed health service packages (HSPs) is crucial for improving health and demonstrating the effective use of evidence in real-world settings. Despite extensive training for large groups on evidence generation and utilization and establishing structures such as evidence-generation entities in many countries, the institutionalization of setting and implementing evidence-informed HSPs remains unachieved. This study aims to review the actions taken to set the HSP in Iran and to identify the challenges of institutionalizing the evidence-informed priority-setting process.

Key Indicators for Monitoring the Efficiency of Iranian Health System: A Synthesized Design Study.

Background: A significant share of medical care, primary health care, and health-related education and research in Iran is provided by the Ministry of Health and its affiliated universities of medical sciences. We aimed to identify a set of key metrics for monitoring their efficiency in the four areas of medical care, primary health care, education and research.

Methods: A combination of scoping review, expert panel and Delphi method was used.

Transparency interventions to improve health system outcomes in low and middle-income countries: a narrative systematic review.

Objectives: This study aimed to identify the types of transparency interventions in the health systems of the low-income and middle-income countries and the outcomes of such interventions in those systems.

Method: We searched major medical databases including PubMed, Embase and Scopus, for any kind of interventional study on transparency in health systems. We also looked for additional sources of information in organisational websites, grey literature and reference checking.

Physician Induced Demand: The Empirical Evidence of Angiography for Suspected Coronary Artery Disease.

Background: We aimed to investigate the existence of unnecessary demand for angiography and the factors affecting it to provide evidence for decision makers.

Methods: This longitudinal panel study was conducted in public hospitals in Tehran, Iran by using 2458 patients' records that were undergoing angiography for suspected coronary artery disease 2013-2015. To modeling the physicians' behavior based on physician-induced demand (PID), the patients were classified as appropriate, uncertain, and inappropriate and then Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM) model besides the physician ethic index was developed and finally the existence of PID showed based on three scenarios.

Valuing the SF-6Dv2 in the capital of Iran using a discrete choice experiment with duration.

Background: The second version of the Short-Form 6-Dimension (SF-6Dv2) classification system has recently been developed. The objective of this study was to develop a value set for SF-6Dv2 based on the societal preferences of a general population in the capital of Iran.

Methods: A representative sample of the capital of Iran (n = 3061) was recruited using a stratified multistage quota sampling technique.

The experiences and perceptions of people with chronic and rare diseases during political-economic sanctions in Iran: a qualitative study.

Background: Economic sanctions aim to exert pressure on political and economic foundations. Hypothesizing that sanctions might affect various aspects of population health, this study, as a component of a broader investigation to ascertain the trend effects of sanctions on selected health outcomes in Iran, seeks to explore the experiences of Iranian citizens associated with the imposed sanctions.

Methods: This is a qualitative study.

The Dilemma of Underutilized Health Insurance: A Matched Case-Control Study Investigating Reasons in Iran's Free Universal Health Insurance.

Background: In May 2014, the Iranian government announced it would cover all uninsured Iranians. Despite free-of-charge insurance, the studies found that the coverage still needed to be completed (93%). This study aimed to understand why certain population groups remain without insurance despite the accessibility of free-of-charge coverage.

Assessing the Iran Health System in Making Progress towards Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): A Comparative Panel Data Analysis.

Background: Sustainable development goals' (SDG) analysis can be caused a better understanding of factors contributing to access to health services and help shape policies to attain health goals. This review aimed to measure and compare the SDG between Iran and selected categories.

Methods: This study was a comparative cross-sectional study.

Health Equity Impact Assessment (HEIA) reporting tool: developing a checklist for policymakers.

Introduction: Health Equity Impact Assessment (HEIA) is a decision support tool that shows users how a new program, policy, or innovation affects health equity in different population groups. Various HEIA reporting and dissemination tools are available, nevertheless, a practical standard tool to present the results of HEIA in an appropriate period to policymakers is lacking. This work reports the development of a tool (a checklist) for HEIA reporting at the decision-making level, aiming to promote the application of HEIA evidence for improving health equity.

Child mortality inequalities and socioeconomic determinants of health in Iran, 2016-2018.

Measuring health inequalities is essential to inform policy making and for monitoring implementation to reduce avoidable and unfair differences in health status. We conducted a geospatial analysis of child mortality in Iran using death records from the Ministry of Health and Medical Education from 2016 to 2018 stratified by sex, age, province, and district, and household expenditure and income survey data from the Statistical Center of Iran collected in 2017. We applied multilevel mixed-effect models and detected significant inequality in child mortality and the impact of socioeconomic factors, especially household income.

Correction: Cost-effectiveness of fixed-dose combination pill (Polypill) in primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease: A systematic literature review.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Health System Response to Refugees' and Migrants' Health in Iran: A Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats Analysis and Policy Recommendations.

Iran is one of the main hosts of Afghan refugees. This study aims to provide comprehensive evidence to increase Afghan migrants' access to healthcare services in Iran. To assess the health system's response to Afghan migrants in Iran, we conducted three phases for SWOT analysis, including: 1-developing a review and comprehensive analysis of documents, laws, and, programs, 2-conducting semi-structured interviews with policymakers and experts, and 3-mapping the results through the Levesque's conceptual framework for healthcare access.

Analysis of Casual Relationships between Social Determinants of Health in Iran: Using Fuzzy Cognitive Map.

Background: Health is a fundamental issue in recent years, highlighting the importance of harmonizing the policies of any sector with health strategies. The present study aims to identify the socio-economic factors affecting health and to provide a cognitive map of the social determinants of health in Iran.

Study Design: A retrospective cohort study.

Challenges and solutions in clinical research during the COVID-19 pandemic: A narrative review.

Background And Aims: The COVID-19 pandemic has presented significant challenges to clinical research, necessitating the adoption of innovative and remote methods to conduct studies. This study aimed to investigate these challenges and propose solutions for conducting clinical research during the pandemic.

Methods: A narrative review was conducted (approval ID: IR.