Background This study aimed to reflect on scientific experts’ and executive stakeholders’ opinions on how charitable organizations can participate in the health care system properly and cope with problems, challenges, strategies, and executive requirements at three major levels of prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation. Methods A total number of 20 semi-structured interviews were conducted with scientific experts and executive stakeholders, selected for this qualitative study, based on an interview guide. Using the purposeful sampling method, we selected scientific experts with 5 years of experience in the health care system and executive stakeholders who had 5 years of experience in charitable activities. We applied a framework method for data analysis, and the main themes were extracted through MAXQDA software. Results Our findings revealed that charitable organizations at the major levels of the health care system, i.e., prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation, possessed the necessary capacities to provide services effectively. Nevertheless, charities encountered some problems, e.g., financial instability, non-recognition of donors’ legal status, non-involvement in policy-making, inadequate cooperation from other agencies, absence of transparent programs and goals, together with weaknesses in advertising and attracting donations. It was noted that the government should take more operational steps towards supporting such organizations, e.g., by granting special facilities and exemptions, engaging charities in policy-making and training processes, and empowering them in terms of the production of resources. Charitable organizations are also recommended to establish external communications with other bodies such as municipalities, secretaries of state, governorate offices, welfare organizations, relief committees, and medical sciences universities. Conclusions Charitable organizations have the potentials to provide health care services at prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation levels. Thus, it is of utmost importance to adopt strategies such as creating sustainable funding sources, training charity managers with a wide variety of scientific management techniques, and implementing their intellectual capacities in legislative and planning processes.

Objective: This study aimed to reflect on the participation status of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) at different levels (i.e., prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation) of Iran’s health care system. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was fulfilled in 2019 based on 40 charitable organizations involved in health care services delivery, which were randomly selected from the Iranian Charities Portal (ICP). Data were collected via a valid and reliable researcher-made questionnaire. SPSS software version 16.0 was used to analyze data. Results: Direct and indirect methods of service delivery were used in 63% of organizations. The most important sources of funding were associated with public donations. Furthermore, 94% of charities were evaluating the health care services with internal and external evaluation and customer satisfaction surveys. Conclusions: The NGOs could be a precious contribution to the health care system. To use this potential as a synergistic factor of the health system, adopting such strategies as creating sustainable funding sources and establishing more coordination between organizations are essential.

Background Despite significant achievements in the prevention and control of NCDs in Iran, these conditions are still the biggest challenges to Iran's healthcare system and are estimated to account for 78.1 percent of all deaths. Therefore, this study aimed to reflect on the potential challenges standing in the way to implement the relevant policies, empower the dimensions of governance, and react in an effective and timely manner by Iran's healthcare system to NCDs. Methods This study was conducted with a qualitative approach using the conventional content analysis method. A total of 46 senior managers involved in the prevention and control of NCDs at the medical sciences universities across Iran were recruited through the purposive sampling method and were interviewed via semi-structured interviews. Graneheim and Lundman's approach was utilized to analyze the data. Results According to the analysis of the senior managers' viewpoints, current challenges to implement the program for the prevention and control of NCDs in Iran could be placed into six main categories, including financing, human resources, infrastructure and inputs, legal, executive, administrative, as well as inter-sectoral collaboration, and management and policy-making challenges with their own sub-categories. Conclusion The results revealed that financing was the biggest challenge to successfully implementing the program for the prevention and control of NCDs in Iran. However, strengthening Iran's healthcare system in the field of the prevention of NCDs demanded more innovative measures and strategies, such as the empowerment of human resources, the effective use of intra- and inter-sectoral collaboration, and non-governmental organizations and charities, along with the exploitation of evidence-based studies during policy-making and decision-making processes, with no need for financial resources.

Background: One of the most common chronic diseases is diabetes, which self-care has a very significant role in reducing its complications. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of social and economic factors on the attitude of diabetic patients towards self-care behaviors. Methods: The current study is a cross-sectional study conducted in 2019. The sample included 170 patients with diabetes referring to the clinics affiliated to the Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. Data were collected using a previously developed questionnaire through interview. Results: Out of participants in the study, had a positive attitude towards self-care behaviors of type 2 diabetes. We observed significant association between attitude towards self-care behaviors in type 2 diabetes and membership in real and virtual groups (P < 0.001), education (P < 0.001) support of family members (P < 0.001), household income (P = 0.01). Conclusion: Regarding the correlation between certain social and economic variables, and patient attitude towards self-care in diabetes, as well as the effects of attitude in performing self-care behaviors, and the beneficial results of these behaviors in disease control, correct methods must be adapted to control these variables both materially and spiritually. Some of the methods suggested by the researchers are holding frequent educational classes for these people, providing suitable pamphlets, allocating suitable environments and green spaces for diabetic patients, creating suitable and fun virtual groups, identifying type 2 diabetic patients who are not supported by families or do not have enough income and creating suitable group spaces for these people.

Background: The visit length is considered one of the indicators for assessing patients’ satisfaction. Factors such as waiting time for getting a visit affects the desirability of the visit. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the visit length and waiting time of patients in public and private clinics in Tabriz. Methods: This is a descriptive-analytic study conducted in five clinics in 2018. A questionnaire-based survey was used to collect data from 386 participants recruited through simple random sampling. Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests were applied to analyze the data using SPSS version 22.0. Results: Overall, the mean visit length was 25.5 and 25.4 min in public and private centers, respectively, while the mean waiting time was 141.2 and 156.4 min in public and private centers, respectively. There was no significant difference between public and private centers regarding the visit length (P > 0.05); however, there was a significant difference between public and private centers in terms of waiting time (P < 0.05). Conclusions: The waiting time was too much, especially in private clinics, which can negatively affect patient satisfaction. Therefore, suggested interventions may consist of using internet and telephone admission, scheduling a waiting list, and requiring physicians to be present on time.