BackgroundDelivering interventions is the main task of health systems whose accurate measurement is an essential input into tracking performance. Recently, the concept of effective coverage was introduced by World Health Organization to incorporate into health system performance assessment. The aim of present scoping review was mapping the key elements and steps of effective coverage assessment in practical efforts including kinds of interventions, criteria for selecting them and the need, use and quality estimation approaches and strategies of each intervention.MethodsWe conducted a scoping review of health system/program assessments which assessed effective coverage till May 2017. Seven databases were systematically searched with no time and language restriction through applying combined keyword of “effective coverage”.ResultsEighteen studies contributed findings on monitoring effective coverage of health interventions and they all were included in the review. Only 4 contributed findings on health system and the others were related to specific intervention(s) assessment. The interventions monitored by effective coverage were mainly in child health, prenatal and antenatal care and delivery, and chronic conditions areas. Potential impact on the burden of disease, leading causes of mortality and morbidity, and high occurrence and prevalence rate were among the main intervention selection criteria. Availability of data was the critical prerequisite, especially, in all of the studies applied ex post approach in estimating effective coverage. Estimation based on a norm, self- reporting from surveys and biomarkers were the main strategies and methods of need, utilization and quality measurement, respectively.ConclusionsMore studies are needed to contribute to the ongoing improvement in the development of effective coverage concept and increasing practical efforts, especially through defining prospective approaches and strategies into estimation of composite measures based on the effective coverage framework. Also, further attention needs to be paid to quality measures of effective coverage in a manner that better conceptualizes and measures the connection between coverage rates and interventions’ effectiveness. At the administrative system level, more innovation is needed to develop data systems in order to enhance capacity of routine health service information.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12913-018-3692-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

This study investigated public trust in health services in Tabriz, Islamic Republic of Iran. A crosssectional household study was conducted in 2014, using random cluster sampling. A total of 1050 households were enrolled in the study and a valid questionnaire was used to collect data through interviews. The mean score for public trust in health services in Tabriz (out of 100) was 53.91 ± 13.7. People had most trust in professional expertise and lowest in macro-level policy. Specialists, pharmacy doctors and nurses were the health providers that enjoyed the highest levels of trust. It is concluded that public trust in health services in Tabriz is low and policy-makers need to employ appropriate policies to improve patients' experience of health services. RÉSUMÉ La présente étude visait à étudier la confiance du public dans les services de santé de Tabriz, en République islamique d'Iran. Une étude transversale des ménages a été conduite en 2014, à l'aide d'un sondage aléatoire par grappe. Un total de 1050 ménages ont participé à l'étude, et un questionnaire validé a été utilisé pour collecter des données au cours d'entretiens. Le score moyen de la confiance du public dans les services de santé à Tabriz (sur un échantillon de 100 individus) était de 53,91 ± 13,7. Les individus faisaient davantage confiance à l'expertise professionnelle et se fiaient moins aux politiques concernant les soins de santé dans leur ensemble. Les spécialistes, les docteurs en pharmacie et les personnels infirmiers étaient les prestataires de santé qui jouissaient des taux de confiance les plus élevés. En conclusion, on peut dire que la confiance du public dans les services de santé à Tabriz est basse et que les responsables politiques doivent recourir à des politiques appropriées pour améliorer l'expérience des services de santé vécue par les patients.

Background: Providing comprehensive and high-quality services is one of the most important goals of the health systems and a basic principle for Universal Health Coverage (UHC). Fulfilling this important task would be feasible through continuous evaluation and improvement of the health services quality. The aim of this study was to develop a framework for quality assessment of Primary Health Care (PHC) in Iran's health system. Methods: This study is a literature review which continued by a qualitative research. The extracted quality dimensions and indicators for initial screening were reviewed and discussed in two panel meetings attended by the experts with regard to the current package of health system in Iran. Using Delphi method, the dimensions and Quality Indicators(QIs) were evaluated and approved by 39 national health professionals in two rounds. Finally, after 4 panel sessions at ministerial level, the selected QIs were categorized in form of the final dimensions of the quality of care. Results: The literature review emerged 13 Primary Health Care Quality Assessment Frameworks (PHCQAF) including 20 and 698 QIs. Delphi study resulted in developing Iranian PHCQAF comprising 7 dimensions and 40 QIs. Among these, 8 QIs of the dimension of access and equity, 5 QIs of safety dimension, 2 QIs of efficiency dimension, 13 QIs of effectiveness dimension, 2 QIs of patient-centeredness dimension, 3 QIs of governance dimension and 7 QIs of appropriateness dimension were presented. Conclusions: The presented PHCQAF can be used as a comprehensive and practical tool for continuous improvement of the quality of PHC services at local, national and regional levels. Moreover, it can give some useful information to the health managers and policy makers on how the services are provided.

Aim To improve the medical waste management (MWM) standards in Tabriz community health centers (CHCs) through clinical audit process. Background Management of medical waste is not only a legally necessity but also a social responsibility in health systems. Owing to the potential risks for human health and environmental impacts, MWM is a global concern. Methods This was an interventional research designed using clinical audit cycle that was implemented in Tabriz CHCs in 2016. MWM was assessed through observation, as well as reviewing relevant documents and interviews with waste workers in CHCs and completion of a researcher-made checklist. Intervention plans were developed and implemented based on the assessment results. To analyze the data, Excel 2016 software was used and information was reported as descriptive statistics through comparison of standards adherence before and after the interventions. Results Generally, 30% improvements in MWM standards adherence were experienced (45.8–75.1%) in the CHCs, after the interventions. The greatest improvement was observed in the dimensions of management and education, and separation and collection of medical waste, up to 30 and 28.5%, respectively. Conclusions As the results demonstrated, standards of MWM processes were improved in Tabriz CHCs, due to the intervention. Moreover, it was experienced that using systematic method, stakeholders’ participation and evidence-based planning would lead to process improvement. MWM was an ignored issue in primary care that must be more in attention.

Objectives: COVID-19 patients develop Life-threatening complications like pneumomediastinum/pneumothorax and emphysema which might experience prolonged hospital stays and additional costs might be imposed on the patient and the health system. The clinical features and outcomes of mechanically ventilated patients with COVID-19 infection who develop a pneumothorax, pneumomediastinum and subcutaneous emphysema has not been rigorously described or compared to those who do not develop these complications. So a systematic review of studies conducted on this subject was carried out to better manage these complications by investigating the underlying factors in COVID-19 patients. Methods: The search was conducted between early January and late December 2020 in databases including PubMed, Scopus, ProQuest, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science, using the following keywords and their combinations: COVID-19 Complication, Pneumothorax, Pneumomediastinum, Pneumopericardium, and Subcutaneous Emphysema. The extracted studies were screened separately by two researchers based on the PRISMA statement. After eliminating the duplicate studies, the title, abstract, and full text of the remaining studies were reviewed. Disagreements in the screening and selection of the studies were resolved by consensus or through a third-party opinion.  Results: A total of 793 articles were retrieved through the literature search, and 99 studies conducted on a total of 139 patients were finally included The patient mortality was found to have a significant relationship with positive pressure ventilation (P=0.0001). There was no significant relationship between the patients’ death and chest tube insertion (P=0.2) or between the interval of time from the onset of symptoms to the diagnosis of pneumothorax (P=0.7). The mean age was higher in the deceased cases, and the mean difference observed was statistically significant (P=0.001).  Conclusion: With the expansion of our clinical understanding of COVID-19, recognition of the uncommon complications of COVID-19 especially pneumothorax is crucial. Although in our review we couldn’t find a causal relationship between COVID-19 and pneumothorax or association between pneumothorax and death, as it is limited by many variables such as included studies’ design, or incomplete outcome data especially more information about the associated risk factors, we recommend performing more well-designed studies to describe the pneumothoraxes› incidence, risk factors, and outcomes in COVID-19 patients. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.38.3.5529 How to cite this:Shahsavarinia K, Rahvar G, Soleimanpour H, Saadati M, Vahedi L, Mahmoodpoor A. Spontaneous pneumomediastinum, pneumothorax and subcutaneous emphysema in critically ill COVID-19 patients: A systematic review. Pak J Med Sci. 2022;38(3):---------. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.38.3.5529 This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.