Journal of

Background and Aim: Since managers' efficiency depends on their communication skills suitable for their employees, this study was conducted to determine such skills among Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (SUMS) managers.

Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 298 SUMS employees working at different departments were selected through simple random sampling technique. The data-collection device was a 21-item questionnaire having 3 parts: verbal skill, effective listening, and feedback communication skills. The data were analyzed using SPSS software. Statistical tests employed included Pearson correlation, T-Test and ANOVA, and the level of significance was determined at 0.05.

Results: The respondents' mean age was 32.7 years. Most of them were female, had a bachelor's degree, and worked in logistics department. According to their judgment, their managers had good verbal and effective listening skills, but were average in their feedback. The highest score for communication skills was reported for the students' department and the lowest score for the research department. Older and more experienced employees evaluated their manager's feedback skill (p= 0.001) at a lower level. The statistical test indicated a significant relationship between feedback and level of education (p= 0.001).

Conclusion: It seems that the intermediate level of effective listening and feedback skills are due to the managers' lack of sufficient scientific and practical attention to the issue of communication. Therefore, it is recommended that educational workshops be held for managers to make them familiar with the importance of effective communication skills.

Background and Aim: Financial reforms in the healthcare system go back to 1384. This study aims to analyze and summarize the most important strengths of implementing the first phase of the reform in units affiliated with the Ministry of Health and Medical Education from the experts' point of view at middle and operational levels.

Materials and Methods: In this qualitative research study, 15 coaches of the new financial health management reform along with 8 financial managers of Medical Universities were selected purposefully to participate in expert panels to be interviewed. Data were saturated following the interviews. The data analysis process was conducted applying Kruger method with one of the researchers having no conflicts of interest with the topic.

Results: Human resources enabling, effective trainings, integrated information system, dynamic culture, structural appropriateness, efficiency and effectiveness, and perfect facilities were the seven themes extracted from the content analysis of the interviews each theme was further divided into some sub-themes.

Conclusion: Recognition of the strengths of the first phase of health system's financial management reform may help bring about the possibility of more correct and exact planning to direct these changes and maintain the achievements as well as designing a long-term horizon and determining an ideal vision for the next phases of the reform.

  Background and Aim: Family physician is the core in the world efforts for quality improvement, cost effectiveness, and equity in the health care systems. The main purpose of this present study was to investigate situation of the family physician program and identify referral route in this program in six pilot cities in Khuzestan province .

  Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in 2011. Pre-designed checklists were used for collecting data. In this study, 15 healthcare team in six pilot cities for family physician program in Khuzestan province were examined and their specified referral levels for each city was investigated and compared with the national instruction to identify current gaps.

  Results: The least number of staff belonged to nutrition, nurses and physicions respectively. In the second referral level cities, Specialists did not welcome the program . In Mahshar, a second level city, five specialists have been registered to family physician program. In the third level, 28/5 percent of specialist were enrolled in this program.

  Conclusion : It seems that it is necessary to facilitate patient access to physicians under contract with family physician program and referral system in second and third levels. Therefore, establishing a motivation system for attracting specialist and improving their maintenance situation can also be beneficial.

Background and Aim: Stewardship and delivery of health services are considered as the most important areas in the healthcare system of the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1404. This study was conducted to investigate the main challenges in medical education stewardship because of its importance in the management and leadership of education from the viewpoint of education process providers.

Materials and Methods: This qualitative research was conducted using thematic and framework analyses to obtain the collective view of faculty members of Medical Sciences Universities in Iran. The data were collected applying deep semi-structured interviews. To increase the acceptability of the study, four criteria of Lincoln and Gupta were used. Codes, categories and themes were extracted by expert researchers of qualitative studies who had no conflict of interests with the topic.

Results: Of the 24 faculty members interviewed, 7 were females and 17 were males. They comprised 5 full professors, 8 associate professors, 9 assistant professors and 2 lecturers. The findings of the interviews were categorized in three main lines of stewardship in health system in the form of main and sub themes so that there were 2, 2 and 5 main themes in each line, respectively.

Conclusion : Since many of the challenges extracted from the present interviews are considered as essential interventions for achieving the stewardship functions of health system -- and, as a result, medical education -- , it is important to pay more attention to these challenges and at the same time conduct more complete studies to get more practicable solutions to these problems.

 Background and Aim: Complaint is the expression of dissatisfaction that needs a response and investigation. It is an effective tool to improve the quality of services. The aim of this study was the survey of complaints, factors affecting them, and the complaint process in Firoozgar Hospital.

 Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective descriptive study. All registered complaints, such as written, verbal and telephone complaints were reviewed in 2012. The data were extracted from the complaint forms of Firoozgar Hospital, which included several parts: personal information, ward name, person complained of, and explanations about the problem. Then, effective factors in complaints were classified and then analyzed by descriptive statistics.

 Results: The most frequent complaints were related to nurses (192 cases). Complaints about doctors were 171 cases. Inappropriate communication (23.64%) was at the top of patient complaints and complaints about fees (14.18%) was the next. Among paraclinical and support units, installations unit had the highest number of complaints (52 cases).

 Conclusion: Since inappropriate communication was the point being complained of more than any other issue, interventions in this area should be considered. Hospitals should identify the root of problems systematically.