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Near two decades of the family physician program in Iran and the structural challenges: A systematic review
Abtin Heidarzadeh1, Bita Hedayati2, Mark K Huntington3, Zahra Hamidi Madani4, Babak Farrokhi5, Farzad Mohseni6, Ideh Dadgaran7, Roksana Mirkazemi2
1 Department of Community and Family Medicine, School of Medicine, Guilan University of Medical Science and Health Services, Rasht, Iran
2 Farzanegan Nik Andish Institute for the Development of Knowledge and Technology, Tehran, Iran
3 University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine, Sioux Falls Family Medicine Residency, Pierre Rural Family Medicine Residency program, Vermillion, United States
4 Reproductive Health Research Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Al Zahra Hospital, School of Medicine, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran
5 Health Network Administration Center, Undersecretary for Health Affairs, Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Tehran, Iran
6 Health Department of Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran
7 Medical Education Research Center, Education Development Center, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran
Correspondence Address:
Roksana Mirkazemi
PhD in Public Health, Founder and Managing Director of Farzanegan Nik Andish Institute for the Development of Knowledge and Technology, No 16th, Mahtab 3rd, Abazar Blv, Ayatollah Kashani Blv., Tehran
Iran
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/ijpvm.ijpvm_234_22
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The family physician program (FPP) is one of the most significant health care reforms in Iran; however, many studies showed that this program has not been able to achieve its intended objectives because of a variety of challenges. This program, despite the existing challenges, is going to be expanded across the country. To improve the likelihood of its success, identification of the structural and infrastructural challenges is necessary. This systematic review was conducted to assess the structural and infrastructural challenges of FPP in Iran. This systematic review of the literature was conducted in order to investigate the infrastructure and structure needs of the current program in Iran. All published articles related to the FPP in Iran were the subject of this study. The eligibility criteria included original articles, reviews, or case studies published in English or Persian during 2011–2021 related to the challenges in the referral system of FPP in Iran. Data were extracted based on Sample, Phenomenon of Interest, Design, Evaluation, Research type technique and were reported based on the structure of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. International credible scholarly databases were searched. The search strategy was defined based on keywords and the search syntax. This study identified different challenges of the referral system in the areas associated with legal structure, administration, and social structure. The identified challenges in this program should be addressed in order to ensure that this program will lead to improved quality of care and equity in Iran health care system.
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