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The spread of the new Corona virus, known as COVID-19, has raised concerns and problems for many countries, and its out-of-China exposure is worryingly increasing. This trend is increasing in our country as well and has reached a critical point in some of the infected cities. This article attempts to provide appropriate strategies for controlling the virus for Iran based on the East Asia countries response that have had the first and most exposure to the virus.  

Aim To explore the barriers and facilitators concerning nurse managers’ participation in the health policy‐making process. Background Despite encouragement for participation in policy‐making, nurse managers are seldom involved in this process. Methods A qualitative descriptive research design based on purposive sampling was conducted. Semi‐structured one‐to‐one interviews were conducted with nurse managers and key informants (n = 16). Interviews were digitally recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed by thematic analysis. The Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research (SRQR) checklist was applied to study reporting. Findings Three levels of barriers were found to nurse managers’ participation in health policy‐making. The individual level included weakness in characteristics of nurse managers, and the organizational level constituted the inefficient structure. In addition, the environment‐related level encompassed external barriers to the organization. Finally, three facilitators with the potential were identified for improving nurse managers’ participation in the policy‐making process, including improvements in collaboration and communication, governmental and non‐governmental organizational activities, and reforms in the health policy‐making process. Conclusion Nurse managers need to use the window of opportunity to participate in health policy‐making. More importantly, they should be informed about health policy in order to meet the demands of the rapidly changing healthcare environment. Drawing upon their professional organizations and positions, nurse leaders require to network and make a space to stimulate their participation in the policy. Implications for nursing policy and health policy Nurse managers need to develop political skills and utilize strategies to help their participation in health policy‐making, leading to better implementation of policies, efficiency, and effectiveness in the health system.

Background A huge number of people living with HIV / AIDS lives in developing countries. Thus, strengthening health systems in these countries is a prerequisite for improving disease prevention and care. After three decades of HIV/AIDS policy-making in Iran, conducting a comprehensive analysis on the policy process seems to be essential. In the present study, we aimed to analyse the HIV/AIDS policy-making process in Iran from 1986 to 2016. Methods This was a theory-based, multi-method and retrospective study. Interviewing of key informants and review of policy documents were concurrently conducted to identify and include further key informants (39 participants) and documents in the study. Framework analysis was used to analyse data. Results The mean age of participants working in HIV/AIDS policy-making was of 48 years and participants had a mean of 14 years of working experience. Findings were categorized as contextual factors, content of HIV/AIDS policies, actors involved in the policy process, and evidence use in the policy process. Contextual effective factors on the HIV/AIDS policy-making process were categorized into five major themes, namely situational factors, structural-managerial factors, socioeconomic factors, political and legal factors, and international factors. The HIV/AIDS phenomenon in Iran was identified to be deeply rooted in the culture and traditions of society. The HIV/AIDS policy content has, recently, been crystallized in the national strategic plans and harm reduction policies of the country. The policy process has been conducted with a solely governmental top-down approach and is now suffering from poor evidence and lack of sufficient consideration of contextual factors. Conclusions There is a great need for change in the approach of government towards the issue and to increase the participation of non-governmental sectors and civil society in the policy process.

PurposeThe effectiveness of non-governmental organization (NGO) participation in the healthcare sector has been demonstrated globally. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the status of Iranian NGOs’ contribution to health policy-making, the barriers to and strategies for developing their contribution.Design/methodology/approachIn this qualitative study, 25 participants were recruited from health-related NGOs in Tabriz, Iran. Semi-structured, in-depth qualitative interviews were conducted. Furthermore, a set of relevant documents were collected and their contents evaluated. The text of documents and interviews were analyzed using a thematic (deductive–inductive) approach using NVivo software.FindingsMost NGO activity has been in the area of providing services, whereas the least amount of activity has been in the domain of policy-making. Factors that were influential for NGO participation in policy-making were divided into three categories: those related to government, to civil society and within NGOs themselves. The primary barriers to participation in policy-making were related to government and the way that NGOs operated. Recommendations include the production of supportive law, financial aid to NGO and infrastructure that facilitates NGO participation.Practical implicationsFinancial support from the government and legislation of supportive laws could help to realize the potential of NGOs.Originality/valueNo such research has been undertaken before to evaluate what activities health-related NGOs undertake, their contribution in health policy-making and obstacles and facilitators of this contribution. NGOs can play a key role in ensuring accountability, transparency and empower citizens to demand basic health services from government.