Payavard Salamat
Year:2017 | Volume:11 | Issue:2 |Papers Count:14

Background and Aim: The study of relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and performance leads to the improved competitive performance of organizations. The purpose of the present study is to determine the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and occupational performance.Materials and Methods: This study is a descriptive-analytical applied research. As regards the type of collected data, the present study is quantitative with the standard questionnaire of Lumpkin and Dess for the measurement of entrepreneurial orientation and the standard questionnaire of Byrne and Conway for the measurement of occupational performance. One hundred and eight employees at Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS) Student Health Center formed the sample of the study. Data analysis was done by using SPSS and SMART PLS in two parts: part of measurement model and structural part.Results: The results indicate a positive and meaningful relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and its dimensions (innovation, risk-taking, and proactivity) and the staff members’ occupational performance. Also, the dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation have a high correlation with each other, but they do not have the same effect on occupational performance. Regarding the importance of each entrepreneurial orientation dimension, it is proposed that facility managers define activities that lead to the increase of occupational performance.Conclusion: Considering the results of this study, taking measures to enhance the staff’s entrepreneurial activities in health centers can lead to the increase of job performance in these centers.

Background and Aim: The application of information technology for the delivery of library services through websites has removed many temporal and spatial limitations. This study aimed to identify the available services and resources on the websites of central libraries at universities of medical sciences in Iran.Materials & Methods: The population of this descriptive study comprised 36 central-library websites of medical universities in Iran. A researcher-made checklist was used to collect data, which were then analyzed through descriptive statistics using SPSS 18.Results: According to the findings, “electronic mail”, “access to services via mobile” and “how-to-use-a-library instructions” were mentioned as modern technologies in 83.3%, 2.8% and 77.8% of websites, respectively. However, nothing was found on “e-learning copyright”. Concerning librarianship and library publications, 69.4% of websites included “new library sources and references”.Conclusion: Considering the daily development of information technology, it is essential to regularly revise library websites and employ new technologies to enhance them.

Background and Aim: To fulfill its mission, the health system needs reform in various sectors including supervisory areas. That is because the quality of supervision can have various consequences such as increase or decrease of innovative self-efficacy through various factors. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explain the mediator role of perception of organizational justice in the relationship between abusive supervision and innovative self-efficacy.Materials and Methods: This is a correlational descriptive-analytical study. The sample included 225 employees of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, who were selected through random sampling. The research instruments were questionnaires of abusive supervision, innovative self-efficacy and perception of organizational justice, which were distributed among the sample after calculating their reliability and validity.Results: The results showed that abusive supervision had a significant negative impact on the perception of organizational justice and employee’s innovative self-efficacy. Also, the perception of distributive justice has a significant positive impact on innovative self-efficacy and a mediation role in the relationship between abusive supervision and innovative self-efficacy.Conclusion: In order to enjoy innovation, health-oriented organizations should reduce abusive supervision in managers’ and supervisors’ behavior; therefore, with the increase of employees’ feeling of innovative self-efficacy, they can lead to the realization of the mission of these organizations.

Background and Aim: To improve the quality of laboratory services, World Health Organization (WHO) introduced ISO15189 standard. So, this study aimed to investigate implementation of the standard at Mycobacteriology Research Center (MRC) and determination of its adaptation.Materials and Methods: At the first step, 12 organizational blocks of the laboratory was assessed by completion of the standard questionnaire. By implementation of the software and audit surveillance the second step was completed. Consequently, the given results were analyzed using SPSS Version 16.Results: By implementation of Quality Management System (QMS) at the three known focal points (pre analytical¸ analytical and post analytical), MRC was scored 80–100% points during 2013-2014; whereas previous QMS of the national reference TB laboratory (NRL) ranged from 48% to 79% Conclusion: This study was the first of our knowledge in stepwise implementation of ISO15189 standard in Iran. Internal evaluation of the standard, our NRL ranked as a 5 star laboratory. We seeked international evaluation to accreditation of the national reference TB laboratory.

Background and Aim: Almost one out of 10 patients who are admitted in hospitals experience “never events” while researches show that about half of these harms are preventable through the utilization of Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA).This study aims to identify and evaluate the risks of care processes in three wards of Alzahra University Hospital of Isfahan and suggest some interventions for reducing these risks.Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study, which identified highrisk processes using FMEA in respiratory, gastroenterology and rheumatologic wards of Alzahra Hospital during the years 20142015-. The study population comprised clinical staff members who worked in these three wards and were familiar with clinical care processes. The focus group team was selected through purposive sampling method. Finally, the information was gathered in standard FMEA work sheets and analyzed with SPSS software.Results: A total of 72 clinical care processes were identified, and the 73.5% of the focus group members rated "blood and its products transfusion process" as the most risky care process. The step "checking the incompatible of patient's information and blood lable and its products" was the most dangerous step (with PRN=300).The findings showed that human and equipment failures were the main reasons of facing the “never events” in these wards.Conclusion: Risk management tells us that the efficiency and quality of care can be promoted by preventing errors through human resource training and proper maintenance of medical equipment.

Background and Aim: In the recent years the number of science research health journals has increased in Iran. These journals should be based on the standards and criteria required in international indexing database. The aim of this study was to determine the adaptation rate of structural requirements on the Iranian medical journals with the criteria of indexing based on Scopus indexing database.Materials and Methods: This study was a descriptive-applied study done using bibliometric methods. The statistical population was all of the science research journals in health ministry on 2014. The data collection tool was the inventory control extracted from Scopus database. The data was collected and analyzed by SPSS20 software and descriptive statistics methods.Results: The results showed that more than half of the biomedical journals were not based on the international editing statements and also, participation of the members of international editing committee was very low. The mean of international editing committee members was 83.3% and all of them were in Iran besides, participation of non Iranian authors was very low in these journals, with a participation rate of only 5.79%.Conclusion: The Iranian medical journals did not follow the expected criteria in Scopus indexing database in a satisfaction level. Adaptation to the expected criteria can facilitate the entering and indexing procedures for these health journals in Scopus indexing database.

Background and Aim: Agents can provide suitable infrastructure for follow-up data analysis and Chronic Heart Failure (CHF) management due to their many advantages such as autonomy and pro-activeness. The aim of this article is to explain the key points which should appropriately be considered in designing a CHF management system.Materials and Methods: In this literature review, articles with the following keywords were searched in Science Direct, Google Scholar and PubMed databases without regard to their publication year: multi-agent system, chronic heart failure, and chronic disease management.Results: In designing CHF management through a multi-agent system approach, there are key points in general and specific aspects that must be considered; for example, confidentiality and privacy, architecture, appropriate information and communication technology infrastructure, and legal and ethical issues.Conclusion: Clearly, identifying and resolving technical and non-technical challenges are vital to the successful implementation of this technology. Thus, in the design and implementation of agent-based systems, many issues should be considered; for instance, reduced face-to-face communication between patients and doctors that can lead to increased stress in some CHF patients, appropriate architecture and application of communication standards and protocols, the mode of communication between agents, users’ attitudes, supporting stakeholders to use agent technology, sufficient budget, coverage of healthcare costs based on agent technology, financial capability, and identification of opportunities and barriers.

Background and Aim: The cornerstone of primary prevention is adopting a healthy lifestyle including abstaining from smoking, maintaining appropriate body weight and appropriate eating habits. The aim of the study was to clarify anthropometric and healthy lifestyles measurements among the working women.Materials and Methods: The cross sectional study was conducted in 2014. A total of 682 working women at TUMS voluntarily participated in this study. The data collecting tool was Women's Health initiative checklist (SABA) consisted of two parts anthropometric and lifestyle indices, were developed and validated by MOHME. Descriptive and analytic statistics was used for analyzing data.Results: Most of the participants were on a diet (%88.1) in the past year. In general, women did not have satisfactory healthy eating habits. Vegetable consumption was only 47.6% and 52% took soft drinks and ate fast foods. Regarding physical activity only 28% of women had proper physical activities. Data for Body Mass Index (BMI) showed that less than half of them were overweight or obese, and 42% with central obesity.Conclusion: According to findings of this study. Anthropometric indices and lifestyle for working women is far from satisfactory condition and make potential risks for their health, which needs to be improved. Establishing training programs and facilities for women to adopt healthy lifestyle including eating habits, and daily physical activity, not only can promote their health, but also improves their personal, family and social performances along with enhancing public health culture.

Background and Aim: Benchmarking is known as the process of searching for the best where organizations are motivated with growth and development effort to identify successful experiences and achievements, and also improvement of functional indicators. This study was aimed at determining the frequency of benchmarking by managers and experts of Abadan School of Medical Sciences in the past two years.Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2014. The population of study was all managers and experts of Abadan School of Medical Sciences that were chosen by the census. A researcher-made questionnaire was utilized to collect data containing demographic characteristics (8 questions) and registration table of patterned cases (4 open and close-ended questions) which its validity and reliability were approved. The collected data were analyzed by SPSS18 software.Results: From the 139 managers and experts, 56 (40.3%) persons used 106 cases of successful experiences and achievements of other organizations to improve and develop their organizational performance including 67 cases (63.3%) in the area of management and organizational, 96 cases (90.6%) in the government agencies, 103 cases (90.6%) in Iran and 44 cases (41.5%) through site visit. There were no significant relationships between personal and organizational variables with benchmarking (P>0.05).Conclusion: Given the present findings, benchmarking in Abadan School of Medical Sciences was low. Therefore, designing and implementing intervention programs appeared to be likely beneficial for promotion and development of benchmarking.

Background and Aim: Hospital as an economic entity, should utilize economic analysis for the optimal use of resources and production facilities. The aim of this study was to estimate the production function of Ahvaz University of Medical Sciences during the period 2006-2014.Materials and Methods: This study was a descriptive cross-sectional analysis.The Data were collected during a period of 9 years in 7 hospitals in Ahvaz. The dependent variable in this study was the number of hospital admissions as the production level and the explanatory variables, including nurses, physicians, staffs, and the number of beds. To determine and specify the form of subordinated Cobb - Douglas production function was used. Data analysis and econometric model was estimated using STATA11.Results: Research findings showed 0.28 elasticity for the physicians, elasticity for nurses, number of beds, outpatient reception and other staffs were 0.10, 0.95, 0.30 and -0.11 respectively. In other words, the most production in these hospitals was dependent on the number of beds. It was an economic activity that consumed a lot of capital. The sum of the coefficients of the production function was 0.88 and the return to the scale was downward.Conclusion: The findings of this study showed that hospital beds have great importance in increasing production. Therefore, the rate of active bed occupancy in these hospitals is high and has the largest role in the production of hospitals or the number of inpatient discharge.

Background and Aim: When there is a big difference among income groups in a society, public health and healthcare costs may be affected through multiple channels. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of inequality and poverty (and other socio-economic characteristics of communities) on public health indicators and the structure of cost payments.Materials and Methods: The present applied descriptive study has been conducted in 34 countries of the world (in terms of having regular data about income inequality) during 1995-2012 using a panel data approach. Eviews 9 software was used to estimate the models. The estimates were done in separate models for health indices and the related costs.Results: Income inequality and poverty on the one hand reduce public health, and on the other hand increase people’s share of healthcare payments. Besides, the level of education promotes the community’s public health and reduces direct out-of-pocket and private payments. However, population density in large cities leads to the increase of private health expenditure and direct out-of-pocket payments.Conclusion: On the path of economic development, we should pay special attention to income inequality among the members of society. Following inequality and higher relative poverty, mental and emotional problems deepen in society, and the health of individuals is seriously damaged. By weakening the efficient management of health sector, this issue increases the individuals’ direct out-of-pocket payments and, therefore, doubly deteriorates public health.

Background and Aim: Throughput improvement is a process that simultaneously increases the volume of services provided to patients, while decreasing the operating costs. The aim of the present study was to extract and prioritize the factors affecting throughput in an emergency department for heart disease patients.Materials and Methods: This is a descriptive case study conducted through: interviews with experts, and the design of a questionnaire based on the emergency management criteria specified by the Ministry of Health and Medical Education (MOHME), and the completion of the questionnaire by academic experts in a teaching hospital in Tehran.Six indicators and 26 sub-indicators were extracted and the data was analyzed using multi- criteria decision analysis methods including ANP and DEMATEL.Results: Among the 26 sub-indicators, six sub-indicators were identified as the top priority ones with a 72 percent impact on throughput. And out of the six top indicators, cardiac emergency clinical guidelines were identified as the most important in maximizing throughput for patients with chest pain in the emergency department under study.Conclusion: This study identified the priorities in enhancing throughput in an emergency cardiac unit. For the first time in Iran the study used a hybrid ANP-DEMATEL method. This study can provide insights for health system planners and policy-makers on the enhancement of throughput in care delivery organizations, especially teaching hospitals.