Research from Tehran University of Medical Sciences Yields New Findings on Health Insurance (Assessment of research systems in universal health…

Managed Care Weekly Digest

Research from Tehran University of Medical Sciences Yields New Findings on Health Insurance (Assessment of research systems in universal health coverage-related organizations)

By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Managed Care Weekly Digest -- Research findings on Health Insurance are discussed in a new report. According to news reporting from Tehran, Iran, by NewsRx journalists, research stated, "Universal health coverage (UHC) is the desired goal of achieving universal access to health services without having to endure pain and financial difficulties. Multiple factors can help steer countries toward UHC."

The news correspondents obtained a quote from the research from the Tehran University of Medical Sciences, "One of the most important factors is the production of valid quality evidence that can be achieved through research. The present study aimed at outlining the status of research systems in UHC-related organizations and identifying the barriers faced by research. The key individuals and organizations that could provide rich, relevant, and diverse data in response to the research question were purposively selected for the interviews. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the interviews. Categories and subcategories were deductively extracted from the text based on research system performance as follows: resource provision, production and utilization of knowledge, existing resources, and stewardship. Then, the themes were inductively extracted from the interviews. Many barriers existed for performing research in UHC-related organizations. The stewardship barrier seemed to play a key role such that structural changes in organizations affected the production & utilization of evidence. Limited financial and human resources were evident in most of the organizations. Research questions were not comprehensively identified. The conducted studies either were not designed to answer the relevant questions and/or were not appropriately reported to policy makers. As a result, their implementation in decision-making did not reach the ideal status. Research utilization aimed at achieving UHC will come to realize only when and if research is conducted to produce evidence required for decision-making and implementation."

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: "Therefore, in addition to the interventions recommended by the World Health Organization, we should design and implement interventions tailored to the local barriers and needs of UHC-related organizations."

For more information on this research see: Assessment of research systems in universal health coverage-related organizations. Medical Journal of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 2018;32():15 (see also Health Insurance).

Our news journalists report that additional information may be obtained by contacting B. Yazdizadeh, Knowledge Utilization Research Centre, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

Keywords for this news article include: Iran, Asia, Tehran, Health Insurance, Health and Medicine, Investment and Finance.