Background Demands for dental services seem to be beyond the capacities of most healthcare systems these days. Patient preferences have been increasingly emphasized to be considered in the joint decision-making process. Willingness-to-pay (WTP) is a recommended method for measuring the utility of health services; increasingly being used in recent decades. Taking these points into consideration, this article aims to provide an overview of the methodological aspects and policy implications of WTP studies in the field of oral health. Methods The research was conducted in ISPOR, PubMed and Google Scholar databases. In addition, reference lists of included articles were checked to identify the relevant studies. All studies published were included that were in the English language and reported using WTP for oral health-related goods and services. A data-charting form was developed by a focus group discussion panel of seven experts to derive the main methodological aspects of WTP. Also, Core policy suggestions were categorized through thematic content analysis of the included papers. Results The search strategy yielded 389 studies of which 52 were included. WTP studies in oral health show an increasing trend in global publications. The UK and Canada have a greater share in published material than in any other country. The dominant field of these researches is in restorative and prosthetic dentistry, and a wide range of different methodological aspects was documented. Policy suggestions were categorized in three main themes: (A) setting new tariffs or subsidizing the item, (B) provision of the item due to population preferences, and (C) improving literacy regarding the item. Conclusions An urgent need for a common framework regarding the design of WTP studies in dentistry seems paramount. Some policy suggestions seem not to be applicable, perhaps due to insufficient familiarity of the researchers with the complexities of the public policymaking process.

Health-related resource-allocative decisions are difficult to make, particularly in the oral health field where demands for services are beyond the capacities of health systems, especially in low-and middle-income countries. 1 For an evidencebased medical decision making, in addition to sound and clear evidence of the effectiveness of health services and clinical expertise, patient's preferences should be taken into account. 2 Moreover, priorities and demand for health care, as part of social services, need to be considered for informed service planning purposes. 3 There are several ways to measure the stated utility of health and health services, of which willingness to pay

Background Migration of skilled health workers could result in shortage of human resources and rising inequalities in service provision in source countries. To date, most of relevant papers are focused on rate and reasons of migration while the need for conducting studies on modelling of factors is more vividly felt. The aim of this review was to determine the factors influencing the migration decisions of medical and dental graduates migrating from developing countries and to introduce a practical conceptual framework for health worker migration. Methods Electronic databases PubMed, Google Scholar and relevant Journals were systematically searched for English language publications from January 2009 to April 2019. The inclusion criteria were: 1) article stated factors affecting migration decisions of medical doctors and/or dentists, 2) the source country in the study was a developing country, 3) participants’ primary qualification country was in a developing country,4) the study used primary data both qualitative or quantitative. Results The search identified 814 articles from which we included 23 full-text studies after applying eligibility checklist. Push and pull theory was the most popular model to describe the migration driving factors. Poor socio-economic situation, political instability, lack of professional and educational opportunities together with family concerns found as strong common push factors that perpetuate migration. The most influencing pull factors were desire for better quality of life, career and training opportunities and financial gain. Conclusions Despite the fact that health workers migrate for different reasons, they follow a same route for decision to stay or leave their own countries. Un-fulfillment of expectations in mother land in addition to media reconstructed reality of life in foreign land can develop a positive attitude for migration Which should be considered before weighing up the push and pull factors of both sides. Key messages A better understanding of the migration motives of health professionals will help health authorities to improve their workforce recruitment and retention strategies and health service planning. Our simple yet comprehensive framework can mainly identify the development of migration desire through combining different models and concepts of migration, behavioral change, values, needs and so on.

Objective : Increasing social welfare and reducing poverty are to ensure the well-being of all classes of a society. Cities and villages are distinguished by cultural and economic disparities. The purpose of this study was to develop and present a comprehensive model on welfare and wealth components and their relationship with each other , as well as determining the contributing factors and variables affecting them by presenting a comprehensive model. Results : The Structural Equation Modeling ( SEM ) method was used to analyze the data and investigate the causal relationship of latent variables. Observed variables and latent variables of the model were analyzed and tested by using AMOS and SPSS (version 21) statistical methods, in two exploratory and confirmatory steps. Wealth and welfare were identified as two separate subjects in the conceptual model and in the final structural model for rural households. Unlike, in the urban community, they were recognized as a single category in the final structural model. The results of this study can provide the clear hints for effective policy making to break the cycle of deprivation and poverty in Iranian rural and urban population.

BACKGROUND: In 1985, the Iranian parliament approved the integration of Medical Education and Health Services and the establishment of the Ministry of Health and Medical Education, which has since been the policymaker of Health Higher Education in Iran. The policies are not based on a codified framework and many were abolished at some point. Some critical issues are not addressed and some activities overlap. The purpose of the present study was to identify the content themes of core policies in the Iranian Health Higher Education system and provide a detailed policy orientation taxonomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This qualitative study was conducted in 2019 using the thematic content analysis of documents relevant to Higher Education and Health Higher Education, including upstream documents, and documents and enactments of the Deputy Minister of Education and its policy centers. RESULTS: From 586 policy documents, six main themes or six core policy orientations in the Health Higher Education System were identified, including Development of Medical Education System Policies; Ensuring the Alignment of Operations with Policies; Policies Related to Medical Education Development; Value-orientation; Networking and Development of Medical Education System Interactions; and the Development of Research, Management, and Translation of Medical Education knowledge. CONCLUSION: Developing a taxonomy of Health Higher Education policy orientations helps policymakers identify the neglected and overstressed areas. It can provide education policymakers with categorized and comprehensive information to quickly access accurate information, make informed decisions, avoid mistakes, and increase productivity.