Objectives Abuse of older people is a major issue in societies that can reduce self-confidence, generate feelings of hopelessness and apathy, and cause psychological disability in the elderly. The purpose of this study is to determine the prevalence of elder abuse in Iran. Methods & MaterialsThis study is a systematic review and meta-analysis, in which all articles about elderly abuse in Iran since 2005-2014 were searched using online databases such as MEDLINE, Google Scholar, SID, Web of Science, and Magiran. Their data were collected and analyzed using the Comprehensive Meta-Analysis (V 2.0, Biostat) software. Results The highest prevalence (87.8%) of elder abuse was found in Tehran (Manochehry et al, 2007), and the lowest prevalence (17.1%) was found in Shahrekord (Hoseinei et al, 2014). The overall elder abuse prevalence in Iran was 56.4% with confidence interval 95% (35.1-75.5%). Conclusion The overall elder abuse prevalence in Iran is much more than that reported by foreign studies. This difference could be related to small sample size and culture variety in the various communities. The prevalence of elder abuse in Iran is much more than that in the world. A B S T R A C T Keywords:Elderly Maltreatment, Prevalence, Meta-analysis, IranReceived: 07 Jan. 2017Accepted: 18 Apr. 2017 Extended Abstract Objectivesith the advancement of medical science, improvement in nutrition quality, and prevention of many diseases over the past few decades, the length of human life has increased. Currently, a significant portion of the population of many countries constitutes the elderly. But, according to some sociologists and health professionals, societies are increasingly facing elderly maltreatment, which includes physical, sexual, psychological and emotional abuse; negligence; abandonment; and financial exploitation [1]. In Iran, according to the letter of approval of the Cabinet of Ministers No. 3478C527330 on 04.14.2004 concerning taking necessary measures to prevent the use of violence against the elderly in the family and society, no steps have been yet taken to determine the extent of this problem [2]. Therefore, the purpose of this study is integrating different studies conducted in Iran and achieving a common outcome from the breadth of the problem, i.e., the general prevalence of elderly maltreatment. Methods & MaterialsThis study was conducted using systematic review and meta-analysis in which 55 articles concerning elderly maltreatment in Iran from 2005 to 2015 in SID, Google scholar, Magiran, Iranmedex, Pubmed were gathered. Words such as elderly maltreatment or "mistreatment" or "neglect" and the "prevalence" were considered as keywords for searching articles. Inclusion criteria for the study were articles that discuss the prevalence of the elderly maltreatment, studies on the prevalence of elderly maltreatment in people aged 60-65 or older than 65, studies in Persian or English, studies used cross-sectional method, articles that had the same definition of the elderly maltreatment, articles conducted from 2005 ...

Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) lead to increased length of hospital stay, inappropriate use of broad-spectrum antibiotics and multiple antibiotic resistance. This study aimed to investigate the rate of HAIs in Iran. In this multi-centre study, the rate of HAIs was calculated based on the data collected through Iranian nosocomial infections surveillance for patients with HAIs, as well as through hospital statistics and information systems on hospital-related variables. Data were analysed using Stata software; in addition, ArcGIS was used for plotting the geographical distribution of HAIs by different provinces. The mean age of the 107 669 patients affected by HAIs was 52 ± 26.71 years. Just over half (51.55%) of the patients were male. The overall rate of HAIs was 26.57 per 1000 patients and 7.41 per 1000 patient-days. The most common HAIs were urinary tract infections (26.83%; 1.99 per 1000 patient-days), ventilator-associated events (20.28%; 1.5 per 1000 patient-days), surgical-site infections (19.73%; 1.45 per 1000 patient-days) and bloodstream infections (13.51%; 1 per 1000 patient-days), respectively. The highest rate of HAIs was observed in intensive care units. Device, catheter and ventilator-associated infections accounted for 38.72%, 18.79% and 16% of all HAIs, respectively. Based on the results, HAIs are common in intensive care units, and urinary tract infections and device-related infections are more prevalent in Iran. To reduce HAIs it is recommended to implement appropriate policies and interventions, train staff about the use of devices, and prepare and update protocols and guidelines for improving the quality of care.

BackgroundHandling the growing epidemic of coronary heart disease in developing nations hinges on primary prevention, which logistically requires directing preventive interventions to those at the highest risk. Therefore, implementing cardiovascular risk assessment profiles is crucial to distinguish high risk groups who truly need extensive preventive measures. We aimed to draw a picture of the cardiovascular risk profiles in the Iranian adult population for the first time.MethodsDemographic, anthropometric, and laboratory data as well as blood pressure and smoking status of 3944 subjects participating in the 2011 national surveillance of risk factors for non-communicable diseases were used to calculate the mean estimated risk of coronary artery disease and the relative frequency of low-, medium- and high-risk subjects based on FRS and SCORE indices in general population as well as different age, sex, and residence subgroups.ResultsThe average 10-year risk of coronary artery disease (FRS) and 10-year risk of fatal coronary and cerebrovascular accidents (SCORE) in the 25 to 64 year-old population was 13.82 and 0.72 respectively. The relative frequency of the intermediate- and high- risk subjects was 25.8 and 22.6% based on FRS and 9.2 and 1.8% based on SCORE respectively. Average FRS and SCORE were significantly higher among men than women, but were not significantly different among urban and rural residents.ConclusionsA significant proportion of the Iranian population, based on FRS model, will be at moderate to high risk of coronary events in the next 10 years. Urgent preventive plans are needed at the national level.

BackgroundLong-term complications and high costs of cerebral palsy (CP) as well as inconsistency in data related to this disease reveal the need for extensive planning to obtain accurate and complete data for the effective management of patients.ObjectiveThe present study reviews the information architecture of CP information system.MethodThe relevant articles published from early 1988 to 31 July 2018 were extracted through searching PubMed, Scopus, Cochran, Web of Science and Embase databases conducted independently by two researchers.ResultsA total of 39 articles on CP information system were reviewed. Hospitals, rehabilitation centres and outpatient clinics were found to be the main organisations in charge of generating CP data. Each CP database used several data sources, with hospitals serving as the most important sources of information and the main generators of data. The main CP datasets were categorised into four groups of demographic data, diagnosis, motor function and visual impairment. The majority of data standards were related to the use of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health and the Gross Motor Function Classification System. Finally, accuracy, completeness and consistency were the criteria employed in data quality control.ConclusionDeveloping a robust CP information system requires deploying the principles of information architecture when developing the system, as these can improve data structure and content of CP system, as well as data quality and data sharing.

Background Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) in intensive care units (ICUs) are among the avoidable morbidity and mortality causes. This study aimed at investigating the rate of ICU-acquired infections (ICU-AIs) in Iran. Methods For the purpose of this multi-center study, the rate of ICU-AIs calculated based on the data collected through Iranian nosocomial infections surveillance system and hospital information system. The data expanded based on 12 months of the year (13,632 records in terms of “hospital-ward-month”), and then, the last observation carried forward method was used to replace the missing data. Results The mean (standard deviation) age of 52,276 patients with HAIs in the ICUs was 47.37 (30.78) years. The overall rate of ICU-AIs was 96.61 per 1000 patients and 16.82 per 1000 patient-days in Iran’s hospitals. The three main HAIs in the general ICUs were ventilator-associated events (VAE), urinary tract infection (UTI), and pneumonia events & lower respiratory tract infection (PNEU & LRI) infections. The three main HAIs in the internal and surgical ICUs were VAE, UTI, and bloodstream infections/surgical site infections (BSI/SSI). The most prevalent HAIs were BSI, PNEU & LRI and eye, ear, nose, throat, or mouth (EENT) infections in the neonatal ICU and PNEU & LRI, VAE, and BSI in the PICU. Device, catheter, and ventilator-associated infections accounted for 60.96, 18.56, and 39.83% of ICU-AIs, respectively. The ventilator-associated infection rate was 26.29 per 1000 ventilator-days. Based on the Pabon Lasso model, the lowest rates of ICU-AIs (66.95 per 1000 patients and 15.19 patient-days) observed in zone III, the efficient area. Conclusions HAIs are common in the internal ICU wards. In fact, VAE and ventilator-related infections are more prevalent in Iran. HAIs in the ICUs leads to an increased risk of ICU-related mortality. Therefore, to reduce ICU-AIs, the specific and trained personnel must be responsible for the use of the devices (catheter use and ventilators), avoid over use of catheterization when possible, and remove catheters earlier.