JOURNAL OF HEALTH ADMINISTRATION
Year:2019 | Volume:22 | Issue:1 (75)|Papers Count:9

Introduction: The extent and distribution of population across the country has made telemedicine technology an effective and comprehensive way to provide health services by physicians. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between the capabilities of physicians and their willingness to accept telemedicine technology. Methods: The population of this analytical-survey study, consists of physicians in Amiralmomenin Therapeutic Research Training Center, Semnan. A questionnaire was used to collect data which were then analyzed using SPSS 19 and SMARTPLS 2 (beta) to test the research hypotheses. Results: There was a statistically significant positive and direct relationship between the managerial [path coefficient: 0. 141] and technical [path coefficient: 0. 135] capabilities of physicians and their willingness to accept telemedical technology. In addition, managerial [path coefficient: 0. 335] and financial [path coefficient: 0. 211] capabilities have an indirect and significant effect on the degree of willingness to accept telemedicine technology through strengthening the physicians’ viewpoint about the change. [path coefficient: 0. 301. ] Conclusion: It is recommended that health care administrators and managers of medical education centers, prior to the implementation of telemedicine medical services and investment in related hardware, increase the capabilities of physicians through strengthening their abilities in management, working with information and communications technology, finance and investment. This will improve the attitude of physicians towards change, and facilitates the acceptance of technology.

Introduction: The advanced technologies in hospitals promises the entry into a novel era. Real-time locating systems are one of such technologies which could enable the tracking of patients, physicians, nurses and valuable equipment. The purpose of this study is to presenting the technologies used in real-time locating systems in healthcare field. Methods: This study was a review-descriptive type and the research population was included documents related to the healthcare real-time location system. The search of databases (IEEE Xplore, Elsevier, Springer, Wiley online library, Science Direct, Emerald, PubMed, DOAJ, Web of Science, Taylor) and google scholar search engine between 2005 and 2018 was performed. 652 sources were retrieved, and then 19 sources were studied. For this purpose, the initial draft of data gathering form was designed in Excel software and the validity of the final form was confirmed after receiving the experts' comments and making necessary corrections. Then, the selected resources based on the objectives of the study were entered into the data gathering form and narrative synthesis was performed. Results: At present, different technologies are employed in real-time locating systems which could reduce costs and increase speed in the process of presenting healthcare services. These systems rely on radio communications and their positive dimensions include precise exchange of data and control of processes. Tracking patients and physicians as well as moving equipment in emergency cases, having access to information, satisfying the patients and staff, and reducing medical errors are among other fundamental applications of such system. Discussion: According to the findings, the importance of using real-time location systems in healthcare field is very impressive and its performance is reliable. Thus, the necessity of using modern technologies in order to improve these systems is highly required.

Introduction: Management of financial resources in hospitals, one of the most expensive organizations in health care system, is of great importance. Hospital managers can boost hospital liquidity through analyzing the liquidity and its related factors. This study aimed to investigate the factors affecting financial indicators in hospitals affiliated to Iran University of Medical Sciences. Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was conducted on eight hospitals before and after the implementation of the health system reform plan (2014 and 2016). All data related to liquidity, debt and profitability ratio and income was collected through a checklist extracted from accounting units, statistics, and hospital information system. Data were analyzed using the Pearson correlation coefficient. Results: The implementation of the healthcare reform plan led to an increase in income per bed, profitability and liquidity ratios in all hospitals (p<0/05). Among the factors studied before the implementation of the health care reform plan, the income per bed (0. 3) and the hospital annual income (0. 22) were positively correlated with the liquidity ratio. After the implementation of the health care reform plan, these coefficients were 0. 33 and 0. 31, respectively. However, factors, such as the debt and profitability ratio were negatively related to the liquidity ratio. Conclusion: Managers should give the highest priority to factors, such as debt and income status of hospitals to improve the financial condition of hospitals.

Introduction: Talented people are valuable assets in each organization and should be managed to achieve the best results. Therefore, the current study aimed to identify the status of talent management in selected medical libraries in Tehran. Methods: This descriptive-applied study was conducted on 130 librarians working in Central Library and libraries of Tehran, Iran and Shahid Beheshti Universities of Medical Sciences. Data were collected using Rothwell (1984) career planning questionnaire whose validity was verified by five experts in Librarianship and Management. The reliability of the questionnaire was confirmed using Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Results: According to the results the current and optimal status in different dimension were as follows: commitment to the establishment of talent management 2. 872 and 4. 231; assessment of current work requirements 2. 846 and 4. 244; assessment of individual performance 2. 907 and 4. 246; assessment of future work requirements 2. 820 and 4. 303; assessment of individual talent 2. 741 and 4. 274; filling the training gap 2. 818 and 4. 328; assessment of talent management and successor training 2. 604 and 4. 302. Conclusion: The results were indicative of a favorable talent management in the Selected Libraries of Medical Universities in Tehran.

Introduction: Liver disease is one of the most common and dangerous diseases the early detection of which can be very effective in preventing complications as well as controlling and treating the disease. The purpose of this study was to improve Adaboost algorithm using Firefly Algorithm for diagnosing liver disease. Method: This is a descriptive-analytic study. The dataset consists of 583 independent records including 10 features of machine learning dataset in the University of California, Irvine. In this study, Adaboost and Firefly Algorithm were combined to increase the effectiveness of liver disease diagnosis. 80% of the data were used for training and 20% for testing. Results: The results highlighted the superiority of the hybrid model of feature selection over the models without feature selection. Of course, the selection of important features affect the performance of the model. The accuracy of the hybrid model considering 5 and all features was 98. 61% and 94. 15%, respectively. Overall, the hybrid model proved more accurate compared with most of the other data mining models. Conclusion: Hybrid model can be used to help physicians identify and classify healthy and unhealthy individuals; it can also be used in medical centers to enhance accuracy and speed, and reduce costs. It cannot be claimed that the hybrid model is the best model; however, it proved more accurarate.

Introduction: Health literacy includes a set of reading, access, comprehension, assessment and decision-making skills and the ability to apply them to health situations. The aim of this study was to assess the level of health literacy among MS patients in Iran. Methods: This descriptive-analytic survey was conducted in Iranian MS Society. The population consisted of all MS patients, 384 of whom were selected through convenient sampling method. Data were collected using health literacy questionnaire for Iranian adults. The results were analyzed using SPSS-IBM version 23 and descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation) and inferential statistics (Kruskal Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests) were used. Results: According to the findings, the average age of the patients was 30. 62, and most of the participants (75%) had bachelor or low school degrees-based on educational system in Iran. The mean score of health literacy among the patients was 2. In addition, health literacy in terms of reading, access, understanding, evaluation and decision making were 2 (favorable), 1. 2 (relatively favorable), 1. 6 (perfectly desirable), 2 (favorable) and 1. 2 (fairly favorable), respectively. There was also a statistically significant difference between the mean scores of health literacy in women and men and their educational level. Conclusion: Based on the findings, it is concluded that high level of health literacy helps MS patients encounter their problems and effectively manage the critical situations.

Introduction: This study aimed to investigate the effect of socioeconomic factors on outpatient services due to lack of access to outpatient services or failure to receive related services and to study the unmet needs of outpatient services in the country. Methods: This study is an analytical-descriptive study. The data were collected from micro-health services data plan developed by the Health Research Institute in collaboration with the Statistical Center of Iran in 2014. The data were analyzed using econometric models, logistic regression analysis, and Stata version 13. Results: A significant statistical relationship was found between the socioeconomic indicators and the causes of unmet needs for outpatient services. Based on the logistic regression model, there was a statistically significant relationship between income level, type of activity, educational level, type of insurance, marital and residential status (urban/ rural) and failure to receive outpatient services. The most significant relationship was observed between the economic and social features and the reasons of not fulfilling the need for outpatient services. Conclusion: The improvement of socioeconomic variables affect the use of outpatient services; therefore, the health system managers are required to pay greater attention to patients’ needs for health services.

Introduction: Designing a supply chain performance model for hospitals is one of the fundamental decisions in supply chain management which significantly affect the investment return and the overall performance in the chain. The purpose of this research was to design a model for assessing supply chain performance in hospitals while considering economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainability. Methods: This qualitative research was conducted using grounded theory. In order to collect data, 14 experts in public hospitals in Yazd province were interviewed. The participants included five hospital managers, four heads of departments, three supplies deputies, and two administrative heads who had at least 8 years of work experience and were familiar with sustainability issues. A combination of purposeful and snowball techniques was used to collect data which were then analyzed using open, axial, and selective coding methods. Results: After the analysis of the data, 44 sub-codes affecting the sustainability of supply chain in public hospital were identified. The sub-codes were then classified into six main codes: intervening factors, causal factors, phenomenal pivot, performance strategies, background requirements and performance implications. Improving collaborative cooperation in different parts of hospitals, reducing the risk of medical errors, improving the quality of services, and enhancing the professional status of personnel were some of the implications of assessing the sustainable supply chain performance in hospitals. Conclusion: The proposed model can be used as a tool of prediction and policy making while assessing sustainability of supply chain performance in public hospitals. Planning and policymaking to enhance health and environmental management system can lead to collaborations between departments, reduction in medical errors (i. e., wrong diagnosis or medication), understanding the specific needs of each patient, the implementation of educational and health care programs, as well as a reduction of environmental pollutants.