BACKGROUND: One preliminary step to strengthen medical education research would be determining the research priorities.The aim of this study was to determine the research priorities of medical education in Iran in 2007-2008.METHODS: This descriptive study was carried out in two phases. Phase one was performed in 3 stages and used Delphi technique among academic staffs of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. The three stages included a brainstorming workshop for 140 faculty members and educational experts resulting in a list of research priorities, then, in the second and third stages 99 and 76 questionnaires were distributed among faculty members. In the second phase, the final questionnaires were mailed to educational research center managers of universities type I, II and III, and were distributed among 311 academic members and educational experts to rate the items on a numerical scale ranging from 1 to 10.RESULTS: The most important research priorities included faculty members' development methods, faculty members' motives, satisfaction and welfare, criteria and procedures of faculty members' promotion, teaching methods and learning techniques, job descriptions and professional skills of graduates, quality management in education, second language, clinical education, science production in medicine, faculty evaluation and information technology.CONCLUSIONS: This study shows the medial education research priorities in national level and in different types of medical universities in Iran. It is recommended that faculty members and research administrators consider the needs and requirements of education and plan the researches in education according to these priorities.

Background: Epidemiology of cervical spine fractures (CSfx) in trauma patients of general population is not yet exclusively known.Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the epidemiology of CSfx in trauma patients.Patients and Methods: Data from trauma patients admitted in the emergency room (ER) of Shiraz Shahid Rajaei hospital during the 3.5 years period from September 22, 2009 to March 21, 2013, were gathered. All trauma patients with CSfx and/or spinal cord injuries were included in the study. The time of the trauma, mechanism of trauma, injury position, and incidence of cervical spine fractures in the patients were recorded.Results: A total of 469 patients met the inclusion criteria. The mean age of the patients was 34.7 years old, with a minimum age of 16 years old and a maximum age of 89 years old. Young adults were most frequently affected. Out of 469 cases, 368 patients (78.47%) were male and 101 (21.53%) were female. We had a total of 17 SCI cases among our patients (3.62%), out of which 5 (29.41%) were deceased. The total number of deaths in our study was 29 (6.18%); 5 (17.24%) with SCI and 24 (82.76%) without SCI.Conclusions: This study demonstrated that most victims of CSfx in our region are 16 to 40 years of age. A male predominance was observed, and motor vehicle collisions were the most frequent trauma mechanism leading to cervical spine injury (mostly due to car rollover accidents), with falls as the second most frequent. The rate of SCI in our study was 3.62% of all cases and the mortality rate was 6.18%.

Healthcare research is a systematic inquiry intended to generate robust evidence about important issues in the fields of medicine and healthcare. Qualitative research has ample possibilities within the arena of healthcare research. This article aims to inform healthcare professionals regarding qualitative research, its significance, and applicability in the field of healthcare. A wide variety of phenomena that cannot be explained using the quantitative approach can be explored and conveyed using a qualitative method. The major types of qualitative research designs are narrative research, phenomenological research, grounded theory research, ethnographic research, historical research, and case study research. The greatest strength of the qualitative research approach lies in the richness and depth of the healthcare exploration and description it makes. In health research, these methods are considered as the most humanistic and person-centered way of discovering and uncovering thoughts and actions of human beings.