Background Rare diseases are a new global health priority, requiring evidence-based estimates of the global prevalence of diseases to inform public policymakers and provide a serious challenge to the healthcare system that must not be ignored. The purpose of this study is to investigate Iranian future healthcare professionals' knowledge and opinions about rare diseases. Results A total of 6838 students responded to the questionnaire. Nursing and medical students had the highest participation. Almost 85% of participants rated their knowledge about rare diseases as poor or insufficient. While nearly 70 percent of participants took courses about rare diseases at university. Finally, 72.7% of future healthcare professionals did not feel ready to take care of a patient with a rare disease. Conclusion The present study has indicated a gap in Iranian medical students’ knowledge of rare diseases. The researchers believe that health science policymakers should make a joint effort to improve knowledge about rare diseases. Including courses with regard to rare diseases would be of benefit to future healthcare professionals.

Background: Breast cancer patients’ caregivers seem to face several challenges and problems that affect their physical and mental health. Spiritual intelligence, as the foundation of individuals› beliefs, plays an essential role in promoting the mental health of caregivers. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between caregiver burden and spiritual intelligence in caregivers of breast cancer patients. Methods: This descriptive-correlational study was conducted on 309 breast cancer caregivers at Shahid Ramezanzadeh Radiotherapy Center, Yazd, Iran, based on census method in 2020. Data were collected using three questionnaires: Demographic Information, caregiver burden inventory (CBI) and Spiritual Intelligence Self-Report Inventory (SISRI). Statistical analyses were done using Spearman’s rank correlation, Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis test in SPSS-20. Results: The mean total score of caregiver burden was 48.12±20.93. The highest and the lowest mean scores were in the dimension of social pressure (10.33±5.09) and physical pressure (8.14±4.09), respectively. The mean total score of spiritual intelligence in caregivers was (67.32±30.84). The highest mean score was in the transcendent awareness dimension (20.54±18.75) and the lowest was in the personal meaning production dimension (13.07±6.10). There was a significant inverse relationship between the mean total score of spiritual intelligence and caregiver burden (r=- 0.63, P<0.001). Conclusion: Caregivers of breast cancer patients who have more spiritual intelligence, experience less burden of care. In fact, higher levels of spiritual intelligence act as a protective factor against the burden of care. Therefore, strengthening spiritual intelligence in oncology and radiotherapy centers is recommended.

Background: Rare diseases are a new global health priority, requiring evidence-based estimates of the global prevalence of diseases to inform public policymakers and provide a serious challenge to the healthcare system that must not be ignored. The purpose of this study is to investigate Iranian Future Healthcare Professionals' knowledge and opinions about rare diseases. Results: A total of 6,838 students responded to the questionnaire. Nursing and medical students had the highest participation. Almost 85% of participants rated their knowledge about rare diseases as poor or insufficient. While nearly 70 percent of participants took courses about rare diseases at university. Finally, 72.7% of future healthcare professionals did not feel ready to take care of a patient with a rare disease.Conclusion: The present study has indicated a gap in Iranian medical students’ knowledge on rare diseases. The researchers believe that health science policy makers should make a joint effort to improve knowledge about rare diseases. Including courses with regard to rare diseases would be of benefit to future healthcare professionals.