In Iran, a developing country in southwest Asia, an epidemiologic transition is underway from communicable to noncommunicable diseases. In Iran, cancer is the second largest group of chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and the third most common cause of death following heart disease, accidents and other natural phenomena. There are some studies reporting an increasing trend in the incidence and mortality rate of a variety of cancers in Iran. Therefore, controlling and preventive interventions pertaining to cancers must be a main priority for health policy and it is recommended that the high-risk population receive earlier screening. In this review, incidence and mortality of colorectal, lung, liver, thyroid, and bladder cancers in Iran are reported.

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Background: The fair wage to specialist physicians and nurses can enhance their job motivation, quality of work, job satisfaction level, and improve the delivery of services to patients. The present study aimed to compare the proportion of changes in earnings of specialist physicians and nurses before and after implementing the Iran’s New Tariffs Book and compare their average income with a number of selected countries. Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was conducted cross-sectional in the hospitals affiliated to Iran University of Medical Sciences (IUMS) in 2016. Six months before and after the announcement and implementation of the Iran’s New Tariffs Book, the relative values of healthcare services were compared. Study population included all specialist physicians and nurses working in the hospitals affiliated to IUMS. Sample size was determined by sampling formula. Results: The proportion of changes in the income of medical specialists and nurses after establishing the book varied between 8% and 184%. Based on our findings, the highest increases were observed in internal medicine (184%), surgery (160%), gastroenterology (153%), and pediatrics (120%), whereas, the lowest ones belonged to ophthalmology (8%), emergency medicine (11%), neurology (24%) and anesthesia (32%). Nurses’ income was surged by 43%. Conclusion: Pursuant to the findings, the income belonged to all examined medical specialists and nursing groups has increased after implementing the Iran’s New Tariffs Book. The result suggested that income differences among groups have been broadened after the implementation of the Book. There was a wide and significant difference in specialist physicians’ income vis-à-vis nursing groups’ income before and after establishing the New Book.

Background: A huge portion of health expenditure is attributed to hospital services. Thus, it is important to use the resources appropriately. Many studies have measured inappropriate admissions and hospitalizations. The aim of this study was to review them systematically and determine the pooled quantity as well as the reasons behind such admissions and hospitalizations.Methods: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Google scholar, and internal databases such as Sid, Magiran, and Barkat were searched in January 2018. Moreover, the grey literature was also performed. All studies which had assessed the appropriateness and inappropriateness of services were included. Newcastle-Ottawa scale was used for quality appraisal. I2 test, subgroup analysis, metaregression, and sensitivity analysis were performed. STATA was used for analysis. There was neither time limitation nor language limitation. The registration number in PROSPERO is CRD42019123401.Results: Of 1576 studies, 15 met the inclusion criteria. The number of medical files ranged from 198 to 1815. Most of the studies ( 14) were performed in teaching hospitals. AEP was the most frequent tool for assessing inappropriateness of the services. The pooled inappropriate admission and hospitalization were 11% (95% CI= 8% -14%)) and 13 % (95% CI= 10%-16%)), respectively. The most important determinants for inappropriate hospitalizations were attributed to physicians. Conclusion:A huge portion of health care services is inappropriate. Thus, it is highly recommended to monitor physicians more than before, as the more they are monitored, the less inappropriate the delivered services will be.

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