A comparative study of pharmaceutical institutions in Iran and abroad

Introduction: In different countries, various organizations and associations are active in the field of pharmacy. These activities mainly consist of policy-making, implementation, training and supervision. In Iran, different tasks are concentrated in one or two institutions; and the active presence of the private sector is not tangible. On the other hand, in developed countries, tasks are divided between public and private institutions. In this article, by investigating and comparing these institutions in different countries and drawing conclusions, systems for dividing tasks with greater efficiency will be achieved. Methods and Results: The workgroup on "Investigating Pharmaceutical Institutions" of Pharmaceutical-Strategic-Studies-Office conducted a study on the responsibilities of each of these institutions, their target population, efficiency rate on the defined objectives in policy, implementation, monitoring and education areas in Iran, neighboring countries and developed countries, as well as their different and similar duties with each other. In this review article, several searches have been done in databases such as PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, specialized books as well as websites related to each of these institutions. The results show that in developed countries an average of six pharmaceutical associations exist, all of which are active in the field of education. In the United States, an organization that approves the competency of pharmacists and issues pharmacy establishment permits has been separated from overseeing organizations. In Japan, other than the Health Ministry as a policy-maker and a special council for legislative purposes, a formal overseeing institution, an Office of Health Assessment and two associations with a scientific-trade and research approach are active. In Australia, one third of the associations are active in the area of law enforcement; and the organization which is active in the field of policy-making and supervision does not have any executive activities. In the European Union, one institution has a role in the field of macro policy-making and two associations are involved in micro policy-making. In India and Pakistan, practically all affairs are carried out in the governmental format; NGOs operate in the field of education, research and government consultation. Overall, China is the most similar to Iran

Test-Retest Reliability, Convergent Validity, and Internal Consistency of the Persian Version of Fullerton Advanced Balance Scale in Iranian Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Objectives: This study was performed to evaluate convergent validity, test-retest reliability and internal consistency of the Persian translation of the Fullerton advanced balance (FAB) for use in Iranian community- dwelling older adults and improve the quality of their functional balance assessment. Methods & Materials: The original scale was translated with forward-backward protocol. In the next step, using convenience sampling and inclusion criteria, 88 functionally independent older adults were selected to participate in the study. Their mean (SD) age was 67.15(5.79) years. The Persian version of the scale was administered to each participant twice with an interval of 2-4 days by the same examiner (occupational therapist). Convergent validity was assessed by correlating the scale with Berg balance scale, timed up and go test, and functional reach test. Results: The test-retest reliability of individual items indicated good to excellent reliability (Cohen’s Kappa=0.63–1). Intraclass correlation coefficient was excellent (ICC=0.98), standard error of measurement was good (SEM=0.17), and minimal detectable change was 0.46. Construct validity showed moderate to good correlation between the Persian version of FAB and Berg balance scale (r=0.65), functional reach (r=0.62), and timed up and go test (r=-0.77). Internal consistency was acceptable (Cronbach α=0.83-0.84) for both phases. Conclusion: The Persian version of the FAB Scale is an acceptable and excellent psychometric instrument in assessing the multiple dimensions of balance in Iranian community-dwelling older adults