Showing 575 results for Type of Study: Research
Zahra Kheiry, Iraj Nabipour, Neda Mehrdad, Abtin Heidarzadeh, Afshin Ostovar,
Volume 16, Issue 0 (11-2023)
Abstract
At first, education was the university’s only goal; nevertheless, scientific progress in the twentieth century added research to the universities’ missions. The industry sector’s knowledge-based technologies added a third mission to universities and brought the university into new fields. The fourth-generation universities provided a more comprehensive view by considering the four elements including university, industry, government, and civil society and the next generation (the fifth generation) of universities also considered the environment in addition to these four elements. The present study examined the optimal conditions and requirements for new-generation medical universities (third- to fifth-generation universities). This review study extracted 187 scientific documents from domestic and foreign databases and after screening, 56 documents were selected for the study. Finally, the propositions relevant to the objective of the study were extracted and categorized using content analysis. This study identified 17 optimal conditions for transitioning to new-generation universities. Moreover, 41 requirements were extracted and listed for achieving these conditions, each under its corresponding condition. New-generation universities are known as borderless and accountable universities. Thus, the communication and exchange of knowledge, capital, and value with institutions outside the university at the local, national, and international levels as well as accountability to the needs created at these levels are the main principles of new-generation universities. Given the unique structure of the Iranian health system and the infrastructure for communicating with society, by fulfilling other requirements, this structure can facilitate the transition to new-generation medical universities.
Hossein Riazi, Somayyeh Abedian, Hamid Moghaddasi,
Volume 16, Issue 0 (11-2023)
Abstract
In summary, this project was carried out in the following steps: reviewing the literature, determining the ethical and legal aspects of the implementation of the electronic health records, reviewing the existing laws and regulations in Iran, identifying the shortcomings and localizing the ethical and legal aspects of implementing electronic health records in Iran, and providing operational suggestions. By reviewing the literature, a list of ethical aspects of electronic health records was extracted and analyzed. Moreover, through reviewing the laws and regulations, it was shown that in the last decade, numerous and diverse laws have been passed in the field of electronic health, especially regarding electronic health records, and there is no serious legal gap in this field in the country. However, certain serious problems were observed including non-implementation or incomplete implementation of some existing laws and regulations, lack of sufficient technical and executive regulations and determining the examples of deviation from the goals of the laws and regulations or their correct implementation, and lack of implementation guarantee for some laws and regulations. Based on the studied documents, the current state of electronic health records in Iran was investigated from legal and ethical aspects, and operational suggestions were presented for its reformation and promotion.
Mahboubeh Shali, Samira Mohammadi, Hasan Shahbazi, Nooshin Kohan, Bagher Larijani, Shohreh Naderi Magham,
Volume 16, Issue 0 (11-2023)
Abstract
To enhance the level of health literacy among the public, it is essential to take steps towards empowering people to recognize and control the influential factors on health. University professors, as health knowledge promoters, are recognized as educators of health skills and advocates for healthy lifestyles and behaviors. This study aimed to elucidate the role of medical professors in promoting the health literacy of the public. The present study was conducted using conventional content analysis. The participants were selected using purposive sampling with maximum variation. A total of 20 professors from medical universities, the Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research, and the Ministry of Health were purposively selected until information saturation. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed simultaneously with data collection. Twenty participants (9 females and 11 males) with an average age of 50.3 and an average work experience of 23.45 years took part in the study. After data analysis, 947 initial codes were extracted, and subsequently, categorized into five main categories and fifteen subcategories. Infrastructure development, content production, role model, self-empowerment, and culture building were identified as the main categories. University professors can, through a skillful combination of various elements within the educational system, either propel students and the general public towards lofty goals or deprive them of achieving such objectives. However, factors such as the low number of professors relative to the number of students, the high workload of faculty members, lack of resources, and the overwhelming life responsibilities of faculty members have influenced their performance and role in this regard. To achieve the goal of encouraging professors in enhancing the health literacy of society, it is imperative to bring these constraints to the attention of authorities for resolution.
Masoumeh Jorjani, Mitra Amini, Noushin Kohan, Seyyed Samad Sajjadi, Nikzad Isazadeh, Amin Habibi, Maryam Sohanaki, Pouria Kanani, Reza Mortazavi,
Volume 16, Issue 0 (11-2023)
Abstract
General courses can effectively empower students and enhance their professional and social personality, and it is essential to continuously evaluate the effectiveness, status, and updating of these courses. Accordingly, the present study aimed to investigate the factors influencing the effectiveness of teaching general courses in the medical curriculum in Iran. The study involved both qualitative and quantitative phases. After conducting semi-structured interviews with experts, medical students, and professors of general courses, and using Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis method, 528 codes were extracted and classified into 4 themes, 11 categories, and 33 subcategories. The main themes included updating the curriculum, focusing on effective and purposeful learning, collaboration and needs assessment of the stakeholders, and linking general courses with practical skills. Based on the results of the qualitative phase, a model for the effective teaching of general courses was developed using Delphi method with subject matter experts, and the validity of the model was confirmed with a two-round validation process. Removing unnecessary courses or those with repetitive content, designing needs-oriented content, involving experts in course revisions, using skill-based education methods, increasing skill-based and practical courses, flexibility in evaluation, and utilizing new educational technologies indicated the highest mean and consensus index. The results showed the necessity of evolving the traditional education system, rethinking, revising the topics and content, focusing on skills based on new needs, promoting evaluation models, and utilizing modern tools and technologies in teaching general courses.
Maryam Aala, Rita Mojtahedzadeh, Aeen Mohammadi, Neda Mehrdad, Moloud Payab, Snor Bayazidi, Mahin Nomali, Mohammad Eghbal Heidari, Alireza Olyaemanesh, Bagher Larijani,
Volume 16, Issue 0 (11-2023)
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has created opportunities and challenges for education and research as the two main academic activities in medical sciences disciplines, which due to their mutual influence can be used to propose solutions for improving these two areas. The present study was conducted to compare two review articles, each of which dealt with one of these two areas.
This comparative study with a qualitative explanatory design was conducted in three steps. First, two review articles were selected that investigated the opportunities and challenges caused by the coronavirus pandemic to propose strategies for the post-corona era. Then, both studies were carefully studied and described. Finally, two researchers separately extracted the similarities and differences mentioned in the two articles and compared them to remove the inconsistencies. A panel of experts confirmed the findings. The opportunities and challenges mentioned in the two articles were extracted and categorized into two areas based on similarities and differences. The similar proposed strategies for the post-corona era were continuing to use virtual space facilities, diversifying the communication methods with students and research participants, and providing and developing suitable electronic infrastructure. Comparing two review articles and determining the similarities and differences between the opportunities and challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the strategies for the post-COVID-19 era related to medical education and clinical research, led to proposing strategies that could promote these two related areas coherently.
Ata Pourabbasi, Zahra Hoseini Tavassol, Bagher Larijani,
Volume 16, Issue 0 (11-2023)
Abstract
The higher health education system in the Islamic Republic of Iran is an integrated system with multiple stakeholders responsible for training human resources in the health sector at different levels. The Academy of Medical Sciences of the Islamic Republic of Iran is one of the effective institutional factors in this system. This study aimed to explain the position of the Academy of Medical Sciences in the country’s medical sciences education system and outline its major directions in this field. In this study, the knowledge-to-action framework was implemented in four steps. Effective institutional factors in system development were explained, and the role of the various stakeholders of the country’s medical sciences education system was compared with them. Then, the functions of the academy as a main beneficiary based on the degree of connection with the stages of the knowledge-to-action framework were weighted, and finally, these functions were classified into different categories. According to this model, although the academy plays a role in many stages of the development of the country’s medical sciences education system, it primarily functions as a think tank and observatory and to a lesser extent as a knowledge implementation unit. The model presented in this study will help the trustees of the Academy of Medical Sciences to play the largest and most effective role in the development of the country’s medical sciences education system, with optimal resource management and principled development of human capacities, thereby laying the groundwork for the improvement of the integrated health system.
Mohammad Ali Mohagheghi, Seyed Mahmoud Tabatabaee, Narges Tabrizchi, Seyed Jamaleddin Sajjadi Jazi, Bagher Larijani, Seyed Mahdi Seyedi, Nasser Simforoosh, Maryam Khayamzadeh, Nazafarin Ghasemzadeh, Mina Mobasher,
Volume 16, Issue 0 (11-2023)
Abstract
Academic faculty members play the most influential role in realizing the goals and ideals of higher education and community health. In the contemporary period, the cultural and educational role of professors, in the most crucial mission of higher education, has not received the required and necessary attention, and neglecting it has resulted in irreparable damages and adverse consequences. This study attempted to identify the prominent cultural roles of professors in relation to students (with an emphasis on higher health education), while explaining the necessity and importance, and effective solutions were examined and proposed. The present study was conducted using a descriptive-analytical method and a focus group discussion. Selected views of expert professors and data from authentic local scientific articles and related topics in upstream documents were utilized. The findings of the study were classified into five main themes and forty categories. “Cultural goals and ideals”; “general mission of professors for the cultural education of all students” and “special mission of professors of higher health education”; “authentic methods”; and “requirements for cultural education of students” were identified and recommended under the eight selected topics in each axis in order of priority. University Professors play a central role in the cultural and ideological education of students. It is appropriate to develop this responsibility in an objective manner and with suitable scientific methods and observe its excellence and realization in the education system.
Reza Shahrabadi, Roghayeh Javan, Roghayeh Zardosht, Mojgan Ansari, Mehdi Rabiei, Hamideh Yazdimoghaddam,
Volume 16, Issue 1 (3-2023)
Abstract
The health team, in their daily operations, are faced with many ethical issues they have to solve. Moral knowledge includes confronting with and resolving conflicts, values, norms, interests, or laws. Identifying the ethical challenges of the health system can contribute to the efficiency of educational and health programs of universities of medical sciences. The objective of this study was to explain the components of professional ethics in therapeutic and health interactions with patients. In this qualitative research, the Delphi method was used to determine the components of professional ethics. The participants were composed of three groups including faculty members, students, and clinical staff who were selected using purposive sampling. First, by reviewing the literature, a semi-structured questionnaire was developed to investigate different components of professional ethics. Then, using the Delphi method in four rounds, the ethical components were selected and by checking content validity indices (CVR and CVI), the final version of professional ethics components was explained based on therapeutic and health interactions with patients. The results of the qualitative research and the Delphi model led to the extraction of the 12 most common ethical components including disclosure of patients’ secrets, lack of justice in providing services, lack of respect for the patient’s discretion, medical and treatment staff errors, lack of compliance with regulations and standards of treatment and care, non-observance of legal regulations in telling bad news by the doctor, non-observance of dying patient’s rights, non-observance of patient’s privacy, lack of proper training of care principles and new and up-to-date treatment tips to students and staff, and finally, non-observance of professional communication. Accordingly, the final components were compiled as a questionnaire. Achieving ethical competence requires the identification of ethical components in educational, therapeutic, and care environments, especially in interaction with the patient. Therefore, it is necessary to identify, structure and formulate ethical components in regular and continuous training programs in the field of importance and observance of ethical principles in medical and health centers.
Samireh Abedini, Elham Imani,
Volume 16, Issue 1 (3-2023)
Abstract
Face many ethical challenges during this course. Since ethics is an important factor in providing health services to clients, this study was designed to explain the ethical challenges in training in viewpoint of medical students. This qualitative study was conducted with content analysis approach. Purposeful sampling was performed and data were collected using in-depth, face-to-face and semi-structured individualized interviews. Data analysis was done simultaneously with qualitative content analysis using inductive approach according to Elo and Kingaz (2008). In this study, information was gathered after interviewing 40 students of Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences. The mean age of participants was 22/67±1/22 years. After analyzing the text of the interviews, two themes and seven categories were finally obtained. Themes were named under the headings: ethical challenges in clinical field and ethical challenges in clinical training supervisors. According to the results of interviews with different students, it is imperative that the faculty members pay special attention to the ethical challenges in hospitals and clinics and consider the necessary steps to familiarize students with ethical issues, how to deal with these issues and how to make decisions in ethical situations.
Khadije Nasiryani, Najme Zamani, Ahdiye Bahri, Seyedeh Elham Fazljoo,
Volume 16, Issue 1 (3-2023)
Abstract
Considering the importance of learning ethical intelligence in nursing students as the future builders of this field and the valuable role that teaching ethical principles in the narrative way, as well as considering the practicality of virtual education in all disciplines, especially medical sciences, the study aimed at determining the effectiveness of virtual teaching of ethical principles in the narrative way on the moral intelligence of nursing students. the present study was of a semi-experimental type, with 40 nursing students entering the study in the available method. Before the intervention, immediately, after and two months after the intervention, participants completed the Lennick and Kiel's moral intelligence scale. Virtual training was held in 16 training sessions. The data was analyzed with the SPSS version 18 software. The Findings showed the present study involved 40 nursing students with an age range of 18-23 years. Comparison of the average overall score of moral intelligence before intervention (155/45±17/81) immediately after intervention (161/50±17/89) and two months after intervention (162/97±15/41) indicates an increase in this score during the study, which was statistically significant(P=0/02).the present study showed that the average overall score of moral intelligence in students increased immediately after and two months after the intervention, and differed from before the intervention, which is statistically significant. Studies show that optimal moral intelligence can portray a good perspective on people's success and progress. Therefore, it is necessary for university administrators to pay special attention to ethical education with new methods, along with clinical education.
Mahshid Sadat Eslahi, Hasan Allahyari,
Volume 16, Issue 1 (3-2023)
Abstract
Malaria is one of the most common infectious diseases, the growth and prevalence of which depends on the environmental and climatic conditions of each region. The Pahlavi government took measures to prevent the spread of this disease in order to ensure public health in the society. In 1334 to 1347A.H, the seventh province of Fars, which included a large part of the coastal and post-coastal areas of the Persian Gulf, was considered one of the vulnerable areas to this disease due to its geographical location. Therefore, the main goal of this research is to investigate and analyze the actions of the Pahlavi government to control and prevent the spread of malaria in Fars province during the years 1334 to 1347A.H. The research method in this article is descriptive-analytical and data collection was done by referring to historical first-hand sources and unpublished local (Persian) documents. The findings of the research show that the Pahlavi government, within the framework of the second and third seven-year construction plans, has implemented solutions to treat and eradicate this disease, such as spraying operations, sending health teams, allocating special funds and implementing programs. He did training for this purpose. Statistical analysis shows that these measures were relatively successful and effective in preventing the spread and control of malaria in Fars. However, the implementation of this plan in Fars was not without challenges.
Farzaneh Zare, Mohammad Hossein Ayati, Mohammad Reza Shams-Ardekani, Mohsen Baghbani,
Volume 16, Issue 1 (3-2023)
Abstract
Drug title is one of the important tools for recognizing and evaluating a combination drug and also analyzing its content. However, sometimes due to the existence of problems that is considered a kind of pathology in this field, is tarnished. The present study tries to identify the problems of nomenclature of compounded drugs. The names of combination drugs available in this research have been collected from three books in traditional pharmacy, namely Gharabadin-e-Salehi, Gharabadin-e- Kabeer, and Gharabadin-e- Azam, related to 18th and 19th centuries. The results showed that there are 5 major problems in nomenclature of compounded drugs: (1) several names for one drug with various formulations, (2) one name for drugs with various formulations, (3) a great deal of variation in unnamed drugs, (4) some unknown pharmaceutical dosage forms, and (5) being dosage forms at one with route of administration and mechanism of action. The study exposes combination drugs in Persian medicine have named concerning various patterns. For this reason, there is non-cooperation that feels a need to special investigation
Mozaffar Ghaffari, Ahmad Esmali, Vahid Abdolmanafi, Mahtab Aligolipour,
Volume 16, Issue 1 (3-2023)
Abstract
The prevalence of academic cheating in educational centers and institutions leads to inefficiency and incapacity of graduates. Accordingly, the current study aimed to design a structural model for academic cheating in medical students based on moral metacognition, moral identity, and moral potency. This correlational study was done using structural equation modeling. The statistical population of the study included the students of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences in 2022, and 350 students were selected for the study using simple random sampling method. Data were collected through the Academic Cheating Scale (ACS) (Parks-Leduc, Guay and Mulligan, 2022), Moral Metacognition Scale (McMahon and Good, 2016), Moral Identity Questionnaire (MIQ) (Black & Reynolds, 2016), and Moral Potency Questionnaire (Hannah and Avolio, 2010). Data were analyzed using Bootstrap, Sobel, and Pearson’s correlation coefficient tests via SPSS and AMOS, version 24. The results indicated that the direct effect of moral potency (-0.34), moral identity (-0.25), and moral metacognition (-0.29) was significant on estimating academic cheating in students. The indirect effect of moral identity (-1.97) and moral metacognition (-2.06) with the mediating role of moral potency on students’ academic cheating was significant. Considering the mediating effect of moral potency in the academic cheating model, it seems that moral potency plays a role in increasing the effects of moral metacognition and moral identity on reducing academic cheating.
Arman Latifi, Seyyed Sadegh Hosseini, Sara Rahimi, Vahid Rahmani, Atefeh Esfandiari, Hedayat Salari,
Volume 16, Issue 1 (3-2023)
Abstract
Professional commitment is described as a set of attitudes, values, behaviors, and relationships that serve as the foundation of a health professional's contract with society. The present study was conducted with the aim of determining the attitude of medical students of Bushehr University of Medical Sciences towards professional commitment in 2022. The research population of this descriptive study included 254 students of the last 3 years of the Faculty of Medicine of Bushehr University of Medical Sciences who were included in the study by census. The standard questionnaire of attitude towards the professional commitment of doctors was used for data gathering. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 25. Descriptive tests, Spearman's correlation test, linear regression and Mann-Whitney test were used to analyze the data. The mean and standard deviation of the age of the students participating in the study was 24.69±2.25 years. The mean and standard deviation of the attitude score towards professional commitment were 67.12±12.72 out of 100. There was a statistically significant relationship between the variables of age, academic semester and experience of participating in training courses related to professional ethics with the mean attitude score (p < 0.05), but there was no relationship between gender and the attitude score towards professional commitment. There was no statistical significance (p > 0.05). Educational centers and its professors, as the most influential force on the formation of students' morals, should revise and implement the educational program well in the field of medical professionalism, considering professional needs
Amirahmad Shojaee, Fazlollah Hasanvand, Hamidreza Namazi, Mojtaba Parsa, Kobra Rashidi,
Volume 16, Issue 1 (3-2023)
Abstract
Professional ethics is based on human values, tasks, rights and responsibilities and affects the professional and organizational conditions of nurses. In this regard, the aim of this study was identifying framework of the dimensions of nurses' professional ethics from the point of view their and physicians. This study was done with qualitative method, using semi-structured interview, with the participation of 26 physicians medical ethics specialist, clinical specialist, clinical assistant and intern and 20 nurses based on theoretical saturation with the purposeful sampling method and after obtaining informed consent from them. Content analysis method was used for data analysis, which was done in MAXQDA version 18 software. Findings showed professional ethics was based on a four-dimensional framework; The professional ethics of nurses in relation to the patient (six sub-components), in relation to colleagues in different job categories (four sub-components), in relation to the profession (three sub-components) and in relation to the hospital and medical organizations (two sub-components). The reliability of the coding of the components was obtained based on the Kappa index equal to 0.88. Therefore, it can be said. Framework of the dimensions professional ethics of the point of view of nurses found meaning in relation to themselves and others (patients, colleagues, organization and profession). The nurses, knowing and observing the details and nature of these communications, as well as the individual rights of these people from their own point of view; they can properly implement the principles of professional ethics in advancing the goals of the organization and increasing the quality of service provision and the satisfaction of others and raising the status of the profession.
Hossein Fasihi, Seyed Ahmad Fazeli,
Volume 16, Issue 1 (3-2023)
Abstract
This study analyzed the credibility perceptions from the perspective of Allameh Tabatabai, one of the prominent Iranian philosophers in the field of philosophy of ethics. Tabatabai emphasizes the significance of credibility based on fundamental values such as truth and justice, arguing that credibility should be rooted in these values. He also pays attention to the analysis of credibility perceptions and underscores their importance in human behaviors and decision-making. The study further delved into how individuals’ credibility perceptions are formed and highlighted the significance of grounding these perceptions on rational arguments, as well as religious and mystical experiences. Credibility perceptions play a crucial role in shaping ethical values and principles and have a direct impact on human ethical behaviors. Moreover, Tabatabai emphasizes the importance of willpower, faith, and piety in shaping human ethical behaviors, explaining that, for individuals to achieve their goals, they must possess knowledge and awareness and make decisions to perform actions based on precise knowledge. These credibility perceptions not only play a vital role in human interaction with the material world but also contribute to the formation of their ethical cognition. Finally, the study demonstrated that analyzing credibility perceptions and focusing on ethical principles and values can contribute to the establishment of suitable ethical environments required for the formation of ethical behaviors. In other words, this study considered credibility perceptions as a solution to addressing ethical challenges in societies and cultures
Mahshad Noroozi, Ehsan Shamsi Gooshki, Saeedeh Saeedi Tehrani, Fatemeh Bahmani, Mina Forouzandeh, Saeed Biroudian, Nazila Nikravan Fard, Mahshad Goharimehr, Akram Hashemi,
Volume 16, Issue 1 (3-2023)
Abstract
The research activities of developing countries have increased over the last two decades. The expansion and decentralization of ethics committees necessitates appropriate performance evaluation. In 2023, a cross-sectional study was carried out on the Iranian research ethics Committees using the checklist called "Research Ethics Committee Self-Assessment Tool". The checklist was translated into Persian and revised based on the opinions of research ethics experts and the approved “regulation of establishment, grading, and description of duties for research ethics committees”. The electronic checklist was sent to the senior members of 269 research ethics committees. After gathering the data, it was analyzed using SPSS software. The response rate was 83%. The average overall score was 152.11 ± 25.173, or 69.14% of the maximum. The two sections (including continuing review (monitoring) and committee resources received less than 50% of the average score. The 138 research ethics committee scores were excellent and 85 committees were in the good range. The findings revealed that average scores are influenced by activity years, the number of monthly meetings, the presence of an approved annual budget, an approved quality improvement program, and having specific administrative staff. Completing the self-evaluation tool can raise the National Committee authorities' awareness about the adherence of the research ethics committees to the imperative standards. It can also lead to each committee's awareness of its strengths and challenges. Revision of national regulations governing the establishment, grading, and description of committee duties and then future self-evaluation can facilitate upgrading and improving the performance of ethics committees.
Maryam Kabirian, Seyedeh Mahboobeh Rezaeean, Rasul Alimi, Nayere Khadem, Robab Latifnejad Roudsari,
Volume 17, Issue 1 (3-2024)
Abstract
The right to safe motherhood encompasses several goals, including reducing maternal mortality, ensuring safe pregnancy and childbirth, and giving birth to healthy children. This study aimed to determine the degree of compliance with the right to safe motherhood and to identify its predisposing, reinforcing, and enabling factors based on the precede-proceed model from the viewpoint of midwifery students. This cross sectional study was conducted using the census method on 151 midwifery students at Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran in 2021 and 2022. Data were collected through a demographic questionnaire, a researcher-made questionnaire to assess compliance with the right to safe motherhood, and a questionnaire to measure its predisposing, reinforcing, and enabling factors on a self-report basis. Statistical methods including Pearson’s and Spearman’s correlation coefficients were utilized to analyze data. The overall mean score of compliance with the right to safe motherhood was 116.6±38.8 with a range of 13-187. Regarding predisposing factors, 58.6% of students had an average to high level of awareness, 80.15% had a positive attitude, and 56.7% highly valued compliance with the right to safe motherhood. Concerning reinforcing factors, the encouragement by clinical mentors (94.8%) as well as legal support (94.6%), and in terms of enabling factors, proficiency and expertise in human resources (71.9%) were recognized as the most influencing factors in promoting compliance with the right to safe motherhood. Moreover, there was a strong positive correlation between enabling factors and compliance with the right to safe motherhood (r=0.950, p=0.488). The results suggest that from the perspective of midwifery students, the level of compliance with the right to safe motherhood is moderate. Given the relationship between enabling factors and compliance with the right to safe motherhood, educational and executive officials in midwifery are recommended to consider the role of these factors to improve the level of compliance with the right to safe motherhood to enhance the quality of midwifery services.
Reza Karami,
Volume 17, Issue 1 (3-2024)
Abstract
Epidemic diseases have historically posed significant threats to human societies, with the plague being one of one of the deadliest. Between 1772 and 1773, an outbreak of plague, known as Abu Chafchir or Abu Khanjar, occurred in Ottoman Iraq, inflicting severe damage on the local economy. This outbreak spread throughout the Persian Gulf and southern Iran; hence it was also referred to as the Persian plague in European accounts. This study aimed to investigate the effects of this plague on human societies and its scope from various dimensions. The study was conducted using library-based and historical methods with a descriptive-analytical approach. Persian, Arabic, and English resources were extracted from domestic databases as well as the archives of British newspapers and the digital archive of Qatar, as important foreign archives. The findings indicated that Mesopotamia was one of the important centers for the outbreak of the plague, and the Persian plague spread to neighboring countries from this region. The results also revealed that the initial attempts to implement quarantine measures in Iran were made during the Karimkhan Zand dynasty and some preventive measures were taken for the first time in response to this plague. Moreover, the transregional trades and movement of commercial and pilgrimage caravans in these areas increased the spread of this disease. This plague changed the political and economic relations of these regions with other countries and resulted in a dramatic population decline
Mahsima Abdoli, Hamidreza Namazi,
Volume 17, Issue 1 (3-2024)
Abstract
Recognizing diseases and their causes is one of the most critical issues in medicine, forming the foundation of treatment. Disease responses and complications might differ among individuals, with some exhibiting more resistance to certain illnesses due to genetic or environmental factors. Furthermore, we are currently witnessing the emergence of new diseases for which definitive treatments have yet to be developed. This evidently underscores the need to explore the fundamental causes of diseases. Evolutionary medicine has been discussed in Western medical discourse for less than half a century. Grounded in Darwinian principles, this theory examines the issues humans have faced, both naturally and as influenced by social conditions, throughout our evolutionary history. Research in evolutionary medicine indicates that human health and illness are shaped not only by immediate biological and environmental factors but also by the long history of human evolution and the transformations that have occurred over time. Accordingly, this study introduced 13 key indices of evolutionary medicine, highlighting its significance and application in medicine and healthcare. Moreover, it emphasized the necessity for greater attention to this concept from both medical science and interdisciplinary perspectives.
