Background: Nowadays, many health information technology (HIT) interventions are developed for self-care management of chronic diseases. Application of these interventions requires patients' readiness to use HIT. The current study aimed at determining the readiness of patients with chronic diseases referring to the clinics of educational hospitals in Khorramabad, Iran, to use HIT. Methods: The current cross sectional study was conducted on patients with chronic diseases referring to the clinics of teaching hospitals in Khoramabad, Iran, in 2016. A sample of 475 patients with chronic diseases was selected by the convenience sampling method. Data were collected using the valid and reliable PRE-HIT (patient readiness to engage in health information technology) questionnaire. This questionnaire is composed of two sections, sociodemographic characteristics and patient readiness factors including health information need, computer/internet experience, computer anxiety, preferred mode of interaction, relationship with doctor, cell-phone expertise, internet privacy concerns, and health news on a four-point Likert-scale. Data were analyzed with SPSS version 20. Results: The results showed that 24.4% (n = 100) of the participants had the experience of using computers. Participants' experience of computer application had a significant relationship with their age, marital status, job, educational level, living place, health status, and disease type (P = 0.001), but it had no significant relationship with their gender. The readiness of patients with chronic diseases and the experience of computer application was at a medium level (mean ± standard deviation (SD) = 2.77 ± 0.59). The highest and lowest scores of readiness were related to the relationship with doctors (mean ± SD = 3.37 ± 0.52) and computer anxiety factors (mean ± SD = 2.30 ± 0.60), respectively. Conclusions: The results of the current study showed that patients' readiness to engage in HIT was at a medium level. Hence, any plans to use computers and improve readiness of patients with chronic diseases to use HIT can eliminate the challenges of accepting IT by the patients. These can also change patients' lifestyle and improve self-care management of chronic diseases.

One of the most important branches of medical science, until past time, law and consequently to medical ethics. Patients' satisfaction of their rights, one of the most important indicators of effectiveness, efficiency, productivity and quality of healthcare services. The goal of this study was to Check the Observance of the rights of patients in surgical patients admitted to Shohaday Ashayer hospital in 2015-2016 from the perspective of patients. This cross-sectional study included 800 patients admitted to Shohada Ashayer Hospital in 2015 and 2016. Respecting patient’s bill of rights from their viewpoint was determined by a questionnaire using a Likert scale from one (strongly disagree) to five (strongly agree). The results obtained in this study showed that the rate of patients' rights in all aspects of the %15.8 patient's view was poor, from the %67.4 patient's perspective was middle, and from the %16.8 patient's view was good. Most patients' satisfaction with their rights in respect to the axis of the right to choose and decide freely and the lowest levels of satisfaction was at the core of respect for patient privacy and confidentiality principle. Level of satisfaction in all axes was significantly associated with age, type of substrate in the third axis, history of hospitalization in the fourth axis and duration of hospital stay in the second axis(P>0.O5). Between gender and place of residence and educational level found no significant relaion(P>O.O5). In total, based on the obtained results and comparing them with the results of other studies, it may be concluded that respecting patient’s bill of rights from the viewpoint of patients is considered as optimal and to enhance the implementation of the Charter as well as patient satisfaction is essential that solutions be identified barriers to implementation

Background: Esophageal cancer is of major concern worldwide, ranking sixth as the most common cause of cancer mortality. Lifestyles such as cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, and poor dietary habits have been suggested to be associated with the carcinogenesis of esophageal cancer. Objectives: This study aimed to determine the factors affecting and associated with esophageal cancer in Khorramabad city from 2012 to 2014. Patients and Methods: This is an analytical study of 48 patients with esophageal cancer, including 80 controls. The patients were selected on the basis of a census. The data were collected using a questionnaire, and Chi-square, t-test, and one way ANOVA analyses were performed using SPSS 19. Results: In this study, 57.8% males and 42.2% females participated, while the mean age of the patients was 68.46 years old, and the mean age of the healthy individuals was 59.79 years old. The findings of this study showed a family history of cancer, anemia, and smoking, and associations with education, occupation, socioeconomic status, blood group, consumption of hot drinks, as well as a history of gastroesophageal reflux. In addition, there was a significant relationship, but no significant association, between alcohol consumption and esophageal cancer. Conclusions: According to the results of this study, the necessary measures to modify the risk factors, such as educational programs and changing food consumption patterns in the subjects, are effective, and can reduce the risk of esophageal cancer.

Background: Acute appendicitis is the most common surgical emergencies; while unusual symptoms have a differential diagnosis. This study aimed to determine the diagnostic accuracy of CBC and abdominal X-ray in acute suppurative appendicitis. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 198 patients. For all patients, complete blood count and abdominal X-ray were recorded. The pathological report after surgery was the gold standard for diagnosis. Then indicators of the validity of tests CBC, X-ray and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio, consisted of positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV), sensitivity, specificity, were analyzed. Results: Out of patients, 133 of patients were male (67.2%), and 65 (32.8%) were female with mean age of 29.13 years. Acute appendicitis confirmed in 77.8% of pathological study, and 17.7% was the normal appendix. Leukocytosis, NLR and abdominal X-ray tests, each have a sensitivity of 89.5%, 78.5% and 100%, specificity of 31.4%, 31.4% and 31.8%, PPV 85.8%, 84.2% and 53.9%, NPV 39.2%, 23.9% and 100%, respectively. There was a significant relationship between appendicitis and WBC> 10.000 and abdominal radiography findings. Conclusion: Due to the sensitivity of performing CBC and leukocytosis and NLR is at an acceptable level, especially with a relatively high positive predictive value, could be concluded that the positivity of these tests for confirming the diagnosis in suspected cases might be helpful and can help to strengthen the clinical diagnosis. Our results in relation to the x-ray of the abdomen suggest its usefulness in the diagnosis of appendicitis.