Journal of

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Background: The admission department as a first point of patients contact with hospital needed special attention. This study has tried to estimate number of needed personnel with work measurement of general functions of admission department.

Material & Methods: This study was a descriptive-analytical and practical research. This study tried to measure real and expected time and determined difficulty degree and skills needed for each task of admission department, then determined total work units and needed personnel in admission department of Children's Medical Center affiliated with Tehran University of medical sciences in 2009.

Results: Total work units in admission department were approximately 10780 units for one month. Counting at least 987 units for every person per month, the number of human resources needed for this unit was 11, while current number of human resources in this department is nine.

Conclusion: Finding of this study show that  Children's Medical Center  involves with inadequate human resources and  multiple pressure  due to insufficiency  in mentioned department, and tries to promote the  technology using in this department and increase the personnel and reset the  payment  system based on work load

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Objective: the aim of this study was to determine the types of relationships and problems between basic insurance organizations and university hospitals.
Methods: this is a qualitative study conducted in 2010. We interviewed revenue officials of hospital and resident representatives of insurance organizations in nine hospitals affiliated to the Tehran University of Medical Sciences using semi-structured interview techniques. Interviews focused on relationships, problems and solutions between basic insurers and hospitals. We used the framework method for the analysis of qualitative data.
Findings: six themes were identified: relationship between insurers and hospitals, supervision tasks of insurers in hospital, causes of deductions, deduction solutions, hospital problems with insurer organizations, and insurers' representatives problems with hospitals. Conclusions: Hospitals and basic insurer should establish effective communications. The results of such relationships, in addition to solve their own problems, helps the patients. Inappropriate relationship between hospital and basic insurer organizations mostly affects the patients.

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Background: Most hospitals face with incremental demands, low facilities and readmission of patients as well as dissatisfaction of the clients in regarding to the quality and access of services. Investigating the reasons for readmission and solutions for decreasing the rate of these kinds of admissions can decrease hospital expenditures and improve the efficiency of hospital recourses. By offering high quality standard services and establishing appropriate procedures we can satisfy patients' needs and relieve their pains and discomfort. In this study we are going to evaluate the reasons for patients' readmission in Tehran University of Medical Sciences hospitals

Materials and Method:  This is a descriptive and cross- sectional study consisting of 9 hospitals. The samples were consisted of patients who readmitted in hospitals affiliated to Tehran University of Medical Sciences. The required information has been registered in a questionnaire by means of computer, admission forms and index cards. The medical records of 250 patients were collected and analyzed by t test, Fisher Exact Test and Chi Square test.

Result: 17.8% of understudy patients were admitted two times and 80.7% were admitted more than two times in the hospital. Most of these 80.7% of patients were over 60 years old. It was seen a significant relation between patients' age and readmission also occurring infection. In categorizing diseases according to the reason of patients' readmission (23.1% in the second period and 20.2% in the third period) encountered diseases related to body blood system while readmitting in the hospital. The average cost of patients bedridden admitted for the second and third times because of the same reason was 3241532 and 1576593 tomans. There was a significant relationship between readmission and length of stay in both periods. Pursuit of treatment in 101 cases with average cost of 1802757 tomans in second time and 84 cases with average cost of 1205283 tomans in the third period was among the highest costs of readmission causes. Also the highest length of stay was related to surgery unit (9.98 days). The highest average of patients' costs related to surgery unit was 3543854 and 3911168 tomans for second and third periods.

Conclusion: Most of readmissions are among 60 years old patients and the most important reasons for the second and third readmissions are as a result of treatment follow up, adverse effect and illness complication which can be for the reason of incomplete treatment, non compliance of clinical protocols and lacking standard instruments. Results show that readmissions can increase patients' length of stay and additional burden of costs for patients, hospitals and insurance institutes. Therefore we can prevent these unnecessary costs and increase patients' satisfaction by complying clinical protocols, standardizing hospital procedures and instruments, personnel training and using new methods of diagnosis and treatment. The reform in Health care policies and focusing on the health care quality on the side of the administrators also paying more attention to home visits and home care are recommended to this case.

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Background: The elderly population in Iran is increasing .  The aim of this study is the survey of satisfaction rate and the effective factors on the elderly - aged peoples  satisfaction regarding to the given services in the hospitals affiliated to the Tehran university of medical sciences.

Materials & Methods: This research is a descriptive - analytical study with applied results. It shows the problems cross - section ally.The research society involves the whole elderly - aged people whit 65 years old   and more than that used the bedridden services of the hospitals affiliated to the Tehran university of medical sciences. The sample involves 360 elderly. For collecting the data, a questionnaire with three parts was used. The validity of questionnaire by the content measurement and the reliability of questionnaire by test re test (r = 0.84) were achieved. And also we used SPSS software for data analysis.

Results: : Results showed that 25/6%patients from management type, 41/9%from facilities ,17/2% from behavior personality and 30/3% from public services are dissatisfaction.  A total of 12 variable were analyzed, and the results showed that: The education level, age, sex, type of refer, dealing with the bed shortage and occupations have the meaningful relation with their satisfaction rate. The one - variable - analyzers in the logistic regration  model showed that among the whole meaningful variables, the education level has the strongest relation with satisfaction. With increasing the education level, the satisfaction rate have been decreased.

Conclusion: Due to results satisfaction rate among participant of this study is good and accepted. Using of results is effective step in increase productivity services and further evaluation needed to be done for functional styles patient elderly satisfaction.

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Background: Focusing on making opportunities to participate of patients in all levels of health care system is important in order to develop of system capability that could make improving of patients’ safety and quality of care services. The aim of this study was to determine inpatient perceptions in general hospitals of Tehran medical university regarding patient participate in treatment decisions and safety. Material and methods: This was a cross-sectional study in 1390. First, the list of eight general hospitals affiliated to Tehran University of medical sciences and all clinical wards were obtained through the university website. Then, stratified random sampling method applied to collect 300 patients as a sample size. Data were collected by using a structured questionnaire that validity and reliability were accepted. Descriptive statistical methods, linear regression and multivariate logistic regression were applied to analyze. Results: From total of 300 patients, 60% of them were female. The level of participating by patients in cure decision making were at high level (59.7%) and 27% in low level. The range of patients’ safety was at high (60%) and low (26%). The level of participate in decision making of cure process had high rate among young people and employed participants. The patients who were unmarried, educated, and employed had lower score in patients’ safety. The participants’ perception had no effect on the patients’ safety perceptions. Conclusion: The symptoms that might be interpreted as an abnormal could be interpreted in different ways by the others. These unusual results could come from dissimilarities in demographic features

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Background: Patients' safety is a critical component of health care quality. As health care organizations continually strive to improve, there is important growing recognize of establishing a culture of patients' safety. To establish a safety culture in a healthcare organization, the first step is measuring the current culture. The aim of the study was to measure physicians, nurses and Para clinical personnel perceptions in patient safety culture in Tehran's selected hospitals, and to compare findings with U.S. hospitals.
Materials & Methods: Physicians, nurses, and Para clinical personnel who worked in training hospitals affiliated with Tehran university of medical sciences were asked to complete a self-administrated patients' safety culture survey (n = 145). Data collection was carried by using the Persian version of HSOPS, developed by Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). Cronbach's alpha and chi-square tests were employed in statistical analyses.
Results: Among the dimensions of patients' safety culture with the highest percentage of positive responses the teamwork within units (67%) was higher, whereas that with the lowest percentage of positive responses was non-punitive response to error (51%). Except to Handoffs and transitions dimension the entire dimension scores were lower than the benchmark scores. The study revealed that more than half of the participants were not reported the errors.
Conclusion: Improving patients' safety culture should be a priority among hospital administrators. Meanwhile, Healthcare staff should be encouraged to report errors without fear of punishment action.

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Background: The hospital is one of the main organizations which offering health care and medical services in a high level allocated sources in the health sectors. Therefore, considering to efficiency costs is great importance. This study aims in considering the efficiency of the hospitals of Medical University in Tabriz, Iran, by using Data Exhaustive Analysis Method.
Materials & Methods: The study inspected and analyzed the technical efficiency and also effective factors on it in selected hospitals by using Data Exhaustive Analysis Method during the 3 period years (1384-1387). In order to conduct this study, the comprehensive Input-oriented Form of Data Exhaustive Analysis Method assuming in the variable return compared with the scale. The variables of the inputs in this study included number of physicians, non-physician staff, and active bed and annual costs of the hospital. The variables of the outputs included the coefficient of the occupied beds, number of admitted patients, and surgeries. To data analyzing, SPSS and data envelopment analysis software were used. It is worth mention that the data in this study were accumulated by using the forms devised by the authors and standardized questionnaire via referring and going to the hospitals.
Results: The findings of data exhaustive analysis method showed that there was %5(TE=0/953) possible capacity augment in the technical efficiency. The findings also suggest that there is a potential frugality in consuming the inputs in order to produce a constant amount of the output. Meanwhile, there is a potential augment of the output by using a constant amount of the input, as well. The findings also represent the effect of the demographic factors and functional factors on the efficiency of the hospitals.
Conclusion: It is suggested that to leave out the surplus staff, decrease the surplus costs of the hospital through replacing the energy consumption and a proper management of energy and other surplus inputs, hire sophisticated managers and applying the graduated field of management in health care and medical services and also hire the managers with high quality degrees, create the data envelopment analysis of enhancing efficiency should be one of the useful way to provide qualified medical services in our society as a comprehensive programming. Based on the findings of the data Exhaustive analysis method, improving the efficiency of the hospitals, health care system and medical section are essential as well.

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Background: Patient safety is one of the most important components of health care quality. Given that assessing the current culture of patient safety is the first step in improving patient safety, we decided to translate and validate one of the most used patient safety culture assessment tool (HSOPS questionnaire) for the first time in Iran, and in this way take a step toward improving patient safety in our hospitals.
Materials & Methods: This cross sectional study was done among four general hospitals of Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), which were selected purposefully. Questionnaires randomly distributed among 420 members of the study population, and were collected after completion. Results were analyzed using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), internal Consistency and correlation.
Results: The value of Fitness function (FF) was 14.25 and according to that, the value of Goodness of Fit Index (GFI) was 0.96. Almost in all of the dimensions, the internal consistency of items in the translated Persian questionnaire was lower than the original one and ranged between 0.57 to 0.8.
Conclusion: Regarding to the findings of this study the Persian translation of the HSOPS questionnaire is a valid tool for the assessment of patient safety culture in Iran's hospitals.

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Background: Regarding to the escalating costs of health care and limited resources in this field, the appropriate identification and control of costs is inevitable. This Study aimed to determine the unit cost of radiology services, in selected hospitals of TUMS.
Materials & Methods: This was a descriptive retrospective study. At first, we selected two hospitals (Shariati and Sina) out of general - teaching hospitals of TUMS randomly. After gathering data, using activity based costing method, the unit costs of radiography services in these centers in 1389 fiscal year (2010-2011) were calculated.
Results: The unit costs of radiography services in Shariati and Sina hospitals were 251255,5 and 334996,2 respectively. Building rent and human resources costs included the most share of total costs.
Conclusion: The unit cost of radiography services in this study is very different comparing with other studies. Calculated building rent costs in this study could be one of the possible reasons of this difference (other studies did not consider this costs). The other point is that, regarding the high share of human resources and building costs from total costs, special attention to these sources of costs and appropriate and adequate use of them, can be an important step toward improving the efficiency and cost savings in our national health system.

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Background: The purpose of this study is to survey the Working Life Quality of specialists working in affiliated hospitals of Tehran University of Medical Sciences.

Materials & Methods: The statistical population of this study includes 400 specialists and a crosssectional Descriptive & analytical method has been used to gain credible results.. Van lar working life quality questionnaire was used to gather the data needed.. The data were analyzed with the SPSS software through T-test and Anova statistical tests. In addition, the simultaneous effect of independent variables in the model was evaluated using the Backward Regression Model.

Results: The average total working life quality of specialists working in affiliated hospitals of Tehran university of medical sciences is estimated to be 48.75 percent. Total working life quality of male specialists is higher than the females and the index is higher in specialists resident in Tehran compared to the other ones but these differences are not significant statistically.. Working life quality of specialists which are satisfied with the facilities in their working places are higher compared to the others and these differences are significant statistically. In addition working life quality has decreased with the increase in the experience.

Conclusion: Working life quality of the Specialists studied is not in a satisfying level, thus more attention and effective plans are needed from responsible authorities in the ministry of health and the managers of the hospitals studied in order to improve specialist`s working life quality.

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Background: One of the most important advantages of calculating the cost and the bed-day expense is that the government can analyze and compare this cost among different centers and regions of the country and adjust an accurate plan and budget and require governmental units to perform it.
Materials and Methods: this research has been done using a descriptive-analytic with a temporary and retrospective approach. sample selection has been done regarding the question that "whether the orthopedic section is beneficial or not" -based on hospital chief`s demands and with experts
consultation. Related data has been gathered through studying documents, performing interviews and observing related checklists .initially all of the active centers were verified and then each activity`s cost was calculated using the ABC technique.
Results: in the year 1387, cost of each occupied bed for the orthopedic section of Imam Khomeini hospital has been 326818 rials per day. Considering the issue that this sector`s income is provided by selling services based on approved tariffs of ministry of health and medical education which has been 217500 rilas for a double-bed room of first grade hospitals in Tehran in the same year, we could conclude that the occupied Bed-Day cost is 109318 rials more compared to the approved tariff of the targeted year, which shows that the tariff's value is highly less than the bed-day cost.
Conclusion: The enormous variance between Bed-Day cost and the tariff approved by the iranian cabinet will result in forfeit of service providing centers and this could make them serious problems in providing quality services in long term. Therefore, it is essential to set the diagnostic and treatment service's tariffs based on the real cost of these kind of services.

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Background: Patient`s self-discharge from the hospital is a process in which a patient leaves the hospital before completing his or her determined treatment period by his own will. This study is aimed to survey the factors affecting patient`s self-discharge from the hospital in emergency ward of a referred hospital. Materials and Methods: This is a case-control study. The 280 selected samples were divided to two groups, each with 140 members. The data were gathered using a questionnaire evaluating the scale of patients and their companions` satisfaction of the hospital services. Chi-square test was used for analyzing the relationship between independent variables and the patient discharge type. Moreover logistic regression was used in order to identify the effect of significant independent variables on own will-discharge possibility. Results: Results indicate that there is a meaningful relationship between variables such as age, having supplementary insurance, residency, income rate, reference shift, reference day, satisfaction of the physicians, satisfaction of the physical environment and welfare facilities, the patient`s satisfaction, the waiting time, satisfaction of the instructions given by nurses and physicians and total satisfaction with discharge type(p<0.05). Conclusion: The matter of patient`s self-discharge is a multi-dimensional phenomenon and depends on patient’s characteristics and structural and medical factors. Therefore predicting its scale and determining factors might play an effective role in controlling this phenomenon.

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Abstract Background: Family physician plan is a form of health care delivery system which its correct implementation results in health promotion. Being aware of family physicians’ viewpoints towards their occupation would play an important role in its better implementation. The present study aims to to investigate family physicians` attitude who are working in health centers affiliated with Tehran University of Medical Sciences towards their profession. Materials and Methods: This qualitative study was conducted in 2011. In order to reach information saturation , the data were collected by performing two singular interviews and four focus group discussions among all 33 physicians working at health care centers of Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Eventually, data were analyzed using conceptual framework method. Results: Data analysis indicated three general concepts. The first issue is the factors that encourage physicians to choose family physician profession and continue doing it (including economical, cultural and environmental factors and work conditions). The second one is the study challenges (including preparation to implement the plan, work conditions and professional limits) and the final one is the reforms needed for its correct and proper implementation ( in policy making and administrative level). Conclusion: Regarding the issue that economical, cultural and environmental factors and work atmosphere have the main role in motivating family physicians, the most important challenges the plan confronts are also related to these factors and major and minor reforms are needed to overcome these challenges. Moreover preparing society’s culture would surely result in better implementation of the plan.

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Objective: This study was aimed to assess Service Quality (SQ) of maternity care from the perception of pregnant women. Methods and materials: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a sample of 185 pregnant women at the 9th month of pregnancy were selected randomly from 40 health posts and urban health centers in Tabriz, Iran. Service Quality was calculated using: SQ = 10 – (Importance × Performance) based on importance and performance of non-health aspects from the customer’ perspective. Data collection used a researcher-developed questionnaire whose validity and reliability was reviewed and confirmed. Data analyzed using SPSS-17 software. Independent sample T-test and ANOVA were used to investigate relationship between service quality dimensions and categorical variables. Results: From the customers’ perspective the average service quality score was 7.59 of 10. Service quality aspects of “confidentiality” achieved scores at the level of good quality (≥9) and “support group” (3.48) reached low service quality scores. Also, result indicate housewife assess SQ better than worker (p=0.047) and mother who's have planned pregnancy has had greater SQ score (p=0.022). Although, in the linear regression analysis, job status and planned pregnancy were significantly and independently related to SQ score. Conclusion: Findings revealed a significant room for quality improvement in most aspects of provided care, particularly support group and safety from the perception of people who received maternity care.

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Background: This study is aimed to compare organizational commitment and intention to leave among employees in Teheran`s hospitals. Materials and Methods: In this survey 3 hospitals with different ownership`s type were examined included: A public hospital, a hospital owned by Social Security Organization, and a private hospital. The data were collected by distributing 450, questionnaires among 450 employees, which were randomly chosen. Results: Among all studied subjects few employees allocated high score of organizational commitment to themselves .This average rate is nearly 20%. Committed employees were impressively low in the Social Security hospitals compared to others. Comparing intention to leave indicate revealed the Public hospital`s employees have lowest scores among all subjects. There is a statistical significant correlation between commitment`s components and intention to leave. Conclusion: Generally the majority of employees have average and low organizational commitment. Employees with high level of commitment and high level of intention to leave make a small proportion of all hospital employees. Social security hospitals must be taken into consideration due to the levels of commitment and intention to leave.

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Abstract Background: Accreditation is a program that is designed for evaluation of health care organizations and measured processes and structures according to predetermined standards. The purpose of this study is to survey the safety situation and quality of care in selected hospitals of Tehran University of medical sciences based on the Joint Commission International (JCI) standards and determination of their strengths and weaknesses. Materials and Method: This descriptive, analytical and cross-sectional study was carried out in 5 hospitals. Translated Joint Commission International (JCI) questionnaire checklist with 14 standards was used as the study tool. Data entry and statistical analysis were performed using the SPSS.13 and K Independent Samples tests were used to compare hospitals. Results: Highest quality and safety of care score belonged to the hospital B (84%) and then to hospitals C (83%), A (72.75%), E (72%) and D (70.5%). Central indices like patient and family rights, quality improvement and patient safety, infection prevention and control standards in the studied hospitals are completely different according to the statistical results. Conclusion: Study results show that the status of hospitals in terms of safety and quality of care are almost appropriate but in some cases there is a large distance between JCI standards and their current status and the studied hospitals have to make appropriate and related policies in order to plan and implement proper programs to improve their situation in quality and safety of care.

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Background:In recent years, clinical governance introduced as amodel to determine continuous quality improvement principals in health services. This study considers assessing the readiness of selected hospitals clinical governance programsimplementation by using CGCQ instrument. Material and Methods: The survey was conducted in 14 private and public Hospitals in order to assess hospitals’ readiness to clinical governance programs implementation in Tehrancity. In this regards, 800 health professionals including physicians and nurses were inquired. Collected data analyzed by SPSS17 using correlation coefficient, mean comparison and descriptive tests. Results:Based on study results, both private and public hospitals had readiness to implement clinical governance program. Results of field survey revealed mean score of organizational climate of clinical governance (3.14) is higher than average score (2.5) in selected Hospitals. Conclusion: This survey demonstrated the necessary readiness to implement clinical governance programs is in an acceptable rangein assessed hospitals. Moreover, there is a big effort to use a unique and comprehensive strategy with the intention ofcontinuous quality improvement in health services.

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Background: Hospital as core of health and care system requires an effective leadership style and suitable strategy for organizational differences and conflict’ solving. Main goal of this study is to survey of relationship between leadership style and strategy of conflict management among chief executive officers of Urmia hospitals. Materials and Methods: This analytical-descriptive cross-sectional study was implemented in Urmia hospitals in 2013. Study population of the research includes thirty top managers in ten hospitals of Urmia. Data gathered through three questionnaires (personal and job characteristic leadership style with method of Fiedler LPC and conflict management). Data analyzed through SPSS software, mainly by Chi 2, Kruskal–Wallis and Spearman's Rho tests. Results: Results showed that Leadership style had significant statistical relationship with average of managers work experience (p=0.040). Also age and strategy of control had significant statistical relationship (p=0.01). Leadership styles and strategies of conflict management weren’t significantly with other descriptive variables such as (position, level of education, marriage situation, work experience, managerial studies and second job). Leadership styles and strategy of conflict management weren’t significant relationship, finally. Conclusion: Since that the determination of leadership style and methods of dealing with conflict management in hospitals is important, it is recommended that ever done comprehensive research on the effects of other factors such as organizational culture, social culture, character on leadership style and conflict management.

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Background and Objective: The operating room is one of the main units in hospital, where the most important phase of patient treatment is performed. This study aimed to investigate the safety attitude among the staff of operating room in selected hospitals of Tehran University of Medical Sciences.

Methods: In this descriptive - analytical study, 230 staff of operating room of hospitals affiliated to Tehran University of medical sciences were selected by Random cluster sampling. Research tool was a safety attitude questionnaire (Cronbach’s alpha 0.854) that classified in 3 categories: demographic questions (11questions), quality of communications (14questions) and safety attitude questions (58 questions). All data collected were analyzed using SPSS18. T-test, Spearman correlation, analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Chi-square have been used for data analyzing.

Results: The results indicated that 90.9% of staffs had moderate safety attitude and the average of the safety attitude score was 188.52(± 22.4). As the results showed, there was a positive and significant relationship between the safety attitude score and age, total work experience and work experience at hospital (p 046/0=, r =±0.141). There were significant differences between: average of the safety attitude score among men and women (P=0.047) average of the safety attitude score among staffs who have been trained and untrained safety (P=0.004).

Conclusion: The safety attitude score among the staff. It is therefore necessary to implement the effective interventions to improve safety attitude among operating room staff in understudy hospitals. 

Keywords: Safety attitude, Operating Room, Hospital, Staff

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Background: Given the importance of quality in health care and meeting the needs of patients, it seems important to measure the quality of services and identify the weaknesses from the patients' perspective. The purpose of this study is to assess the service quality (SQ) of care as perceived by people with Type 2 Diabetes (T2D). Materials & Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 180 people with Type 2 diabetes in diabetes clinic using convenience sampling method in Tabriz, Iran in 2012. Service quality was calculated using: SQ=10 – (Importance ×Performance) based on importance and performance of non-health aspects from the patients' perspective. Validity and reliability of questionnaire was reviewed and confirmed. Independent sample T-test and ANOVA were used to investigate relationship between service quality and categorical variables. Data analyzed bySPSS13 software. Results: The average service quality score was 8.17 of 10. From the participants' perspective, of 12 aspects of service quality, communication and prevention had the highest score for importance. Dignity had the highest score for performance. However, the highest service quality values were for continuity of care, dignity and confidentiality. Conclusion: overall service quality achieved inadequate quality and there is an opportunity to improve quality of care.