Health concerns of Iranian adolescents: Protocol for a mixed methods study

Background: Adolescents have particular health and developmental needs that suggest they should neither be treated as older children nor younger adults. Objectives: The aim of this paper is to report the protocol for a mixed methods study that set out to investigate the health concerns of Iranian adolescents and their sources of health information with the goal of identifying suitable strategies to address their health concerns. Materials and Methods: This mixed methods study consists of an explanatory sequential design to be conducted in two phases. The first phase was a population-based cross-sectional survey of 915, 14-18 year old adolescents who were selected by stratified cluster random sampling method from the 22 main municipal sectors of Tehran, Iran. They completed a series of self-administered questionnaires which were analyzed using quantitative approaches. The second phase was a qualitative study in which adolescents were selected using purposeful sampling for individual in-depth semi-structured interviews on the basis of the quantitative findings from the first phase. These data, together with a literature review and data obtained through nominal group technique, would then be used to in the development of strategies to reduce adolescents' health concerns. Results: The findings of this mixed methods sequential explanatory study are expected to provide unique information about the health concerns of Iranian adolescents and their sources of information, which to date have received little attention. Conclusions: These data will provide a rich source of information that can be used by intervention programs, health professionals and policy makers in addressing the health concerns of adolescents, with the goal of facilitating a successful passage to adult life. © 2014, Iranian Red Crescent Medical Journal

Surveyor management of hospital accreditation program: A thematic analysis conducted in Iran

Background: The surveyors in hospital accreditation program are considered as the core of accreditation programs. So, the reliability and validity of the accreditation program heavily depend on their performance. Objectives: This study aimed to identify the dimensions and factors affecting surveyor management of hospital accreditation programs in Iran. Materials and Methods: This qualitative study used a thematic analysis method, and was performed in Iran in 2014. The study participants included experts in the field of hospital accreditation, and were derived from three groups: 1. Policy-makers, administrators, and surveyors of the accreditation bureau, the ministry of health and medical education, Iranian universities of medical science; 2. Healthcare service providers, and 3. University professors and faculty members. The data were collected using semi-structured in-depth interviews. Following text transcription and control of compliance with the original text, MAXQDA10 software was used to code, classify, and organize the interviews in six stages. Results: The findings from the analysis of 21 interviews were first classified in the form of 1347 semantic units, 11 themes, 17 sub-themes, and 248 codes. These were further discussed by an expert panel, which then resulted in the emergence of seven main themes - selection and recruitment of the surveyor team, organization of the surveyor team, planning to perform surveys, surveyor motivation and retention, surveyor training, surveyor assessment, and recommendations - as well as 27 sub-themes, and 112 codes. Conclusions: The dimensions and variables affecting the surveyors� management were identified and classified on the basis of existing scientific methods in the form of a conceptual framework. Using the results of this study, it would certainly be possible to take a great step toward enhancing the reliability of surveys and the quality and safety of services, while effectively managing accreditation program surveyors. © 2016, Iranian Red Crescent Medical Journal

Quality of life in elderly diabetic: Comparison between home and nursing home

Research and planning to improve the quality of life for elderly seems to be essential, as the population of this age group has shown an increasing trend. Any chronic disease including diabetes has an impact on lifestyle of the patient. The objective of this study was to compare the quality of life between two groups of elderly diabetic patients who were residence of home as well as nursing home. A descriptiveanalytical random study was conducted during 2010-2011 on two groups of 93 elderly diabetic patients, who were living in Kahrizak nursing home of Tehran (Iran), and home residents as well by interview for their demographical information and one standard questionnaire provided by world health organization. SPSS 16 was employed for data analysis. Significant differences were found in physical, psychological and social domains between two groups (P<0.05). In physical and social domains the elderly diabetic patients of nursing home had a higher mean score but in psychological domain the result was in contrast. Regarding the difference between scores in two studied groups it is necessary to study the weak points of each group individually and try to resolve the problems. © 2013 Tehran University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved

Eliminating healthcare-associated infections in Iran: A qualitative study to explore stakeholders’ views

Background: Although preventable, healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) continue to pose huge health and economic burdens on countries worldwide. Some studies have indicated the numerous causes of HAIs, but only a tiny literature exists on the multifaceted measures that can be used to address the problem. This paper presents stakeholders’ opinions on measures for controlling HAIs in Iran. Methods: We used the qualitative research method in studying the phenomenon. Through a purposive sampling approach, we conducted 24 face-to-face interviews using a semi-structured interview guide. Participants were mainly key informants, including policy-makers, health professionals, and technical officers across the national and sub-national levels, including the Ministry of Health (MoH), medical universities, and hospitals in Iran. We performed thematic framework analysis using the software MAXQDA10. Results: Four main interdisciplinary themes emerged from our study of measures of controlling HAIs: strengthening governance and stewardship; strengthening human resources policies; appropriate prescription and usage of antibiotics; and environmental sanitation and personal hygiene. Conclusion: According to our findings, elimination of HAIs demands multifactorial interventions. While the ultimate recommendation of policy-makers is to have HAIs among the priorities of the national agenda, financial commitment and the creation of an enabling work environment in which both patients and healthcare workers can practice personal hygiene could lead to a significant reduction in HAIs in Ira

Voltammetric Determination of Carbofuran Pesticide in Biological and Environmental Samples using a Molecularly Imprinted Polymer Sensor, a Multivariate Optimization

Abstract: Increasing application of pesticides and their toxicity made it essential to develop reliable and accurate methods of their trace quantification. This research was aimed to develop an electrochemical nanocomposite sensor based on molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) for selective and sensitive determination of carbofuran. The proposed sensor was made based on incorporation of carbofuran MIP in the carbon paste. The square wave voltammetric (SWV) method was applied for the electrochemical measurements. The experimental design was then used to optimize parameters affecting the sensor response according to selected experimental domain. The obtained linear range after optimization of the parameters was from 1 � 10�9 to 1 � 10�6 M. The calculated detection limit was 3 � 10�10 M. Under optimized extraction and determination conditions, the proposed modified sensor indicated the considerable sensitivity and selectivity to determine carbofuran in some real samples (human urine, tap and river water) without any special sample pre-treatment before the analysis. © 2020, Pleiades Publishing, Ltd

Effects of daily consumption of probiotic yoghurt on inflammatory factors in pregnant women: A randomized controlled trial

Previous studies have shown that inflammatory factors increases in pregnancy and is associated with several complications of pregnancy. The aim of this study was to assess effects of daily consumption of probiotic yoghurt on inflammatory factors in pregnant women. In a randomized clinical trial, seventy primigravid (the first pregnancy) and singleton pregnant women aged 18-30 years were assigned to two groups. Subjects consumed daily 200 g probiotic yoghurt containing Lactobacillus acidophilus La5 and Bifidobacterium animalisBB12 (1O7CFUg-1for each) or 200 g conventional yoghurt for 9 weeks. Fasting blood samples were collected at baseline (28 weeks of gestation) and after intervention (37 weeks of gestation). Inflammatory factors, hs-CRP and TNF-α, were measured by Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). Independent t-test was used to compare the two groups after intervention and paired-sample t-test compared variables before and after treatment. The results showed that the probiotic yogurt brought about a decrease in the serum hs-CRP level, from 10.44±1.56 to 7.44±1.03 μg mL-1(p = 0.041). There was no significant change in the conventional yogurt group in the serum hs-CRP level (12.55±1.57 to 14.5±1.62 μg mL-1, p = 0.202). The probiotic yogurt had no effect on TNF-α (from 73.75±6.59 to 77.91±5.61 pg mL1, p = 0.633). Serum TNF-α did not change in the conventional yogurt group (p = 0.134). In conclusion probiotic yogurt significantly decreased hs-CRP in pregnant women but had no effect on TNF-α. © 2011 Asian Network for Scientific Information