Background: According to increase in elderly populations, and change in lifestyle and cancer-causing behavior, the global burden of cancer is increasing. For prevention and control of disease, knowledge of population statistics of cancers and their trends is essential. This study aimed to investigate the epidemiology and trends of cancer in the province of Kerman: southeast of Iran. Materials and Methods: This analytical and cross-sectional study was carried out based on cancer registry data at the Disease Management Center of the Health Ministry from 2004 to 2009 in the province of Kerman in Iran. Common cancers were defined as the number of reported cases and standardized incidence rates. To compute the annual percentage change (APC), joinpoint 4.1.1.1 software was applied. Results: Of 10,595 registered cases, 45.3% (4802 cases) were in women and 56.7% (5,793 cases) occurred in men. The standardized incidence rates for both females and males were increasing during the six years studied. The most common cancers in both sexes during six years of studied were skin (13.4%), breast (9.35%), bladder (7.8%), stomach (7.45%), leukemia (7.05%), colorectal(5.57%), lung(4.92%), trachea(3.51%) and prostate(2.48%). Conclusions: Our findings revealed that the cancer incidence is demonstrating increasing trends in both sexes in the province of Kerman. This may be because of changes in lifestyle, increasing exposure to risk factors for cancer and increase of life expectancy. If this is the case, increasing public awareness of cancer risk factors is a high priority, together with introduction of large-scale screening techniques.

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BackgroundPreterm birth is a major cause of prenatal and postnatal mortality particularly in developing countries. This study investigated the maternal risk factors associated with the risk of preterm birth.MethodsA population-based case-control study was conducted in several provinces of Iran on 2463 mothers referred to health care centers. Appropriate descriptive and analytical statistical methods were used to evaluate the association between maternal risk factors and the risk of preterm birth. All tests were two-sided, and P values < 0.05 were considered to be statistically significant.ResultsThe mean gestational age was 31.5 ± 4.03 vs. 38.8 ± 1.06 weeks in the case and control groups, respectively. Multivariate regression analysis showed a statistically significant association between preterm birth and mother’s age and ethnicity. Women of Balooch ethnicity and age ≥ 35 years were significantly more likely to develop preterm birth (OR: 1.64; 95% CI: 1.01–-2.44 and OR: 9.72; 95% CI: 3.07–30.78, respectively). However, no statistically significant association was observed between preterm birth and mother’s place of residence, level of education, past history of cesarean section, and BMI.ConclusionDespite technological advances in the health care system, preterm birth still remains a major concern for health officials. Providing appropriate perinatal health care services as well as raising the awareness of pregnant women, especially for high-risk groups, can reduce the proportion of preventable preterm births.

Background: Over the past two decades, patient-centered care has become one of the important dimensions of health care delivery, given that patients are expected to receive appropriate care from the service center. This study aimed to evaluate the various dimensions of patient-centered care from the viewpoint of nurses and patients in order to improve the patient-centered care of health services. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on two hospitals in city of Yazd, Iran. A total of 100 nurses and 100 patients were selected by simple random sampling method. Data was collected using a validated questionnaire and analyzed using one-way ANOVA test. Results: The mean score of patient-centered care was 2.34 (standard deviation (SD) = 0.58) from nurses' point of view and 2.23(SD = 0.07) from patients' point of view. The dimensions of patient's dignity, patient's values and social support for the patient had the highest score and quick attention to the patients had the lowest score from nurses' perspectives. Respecting dignity and quality of health service provider had the lowest score from the patients' viewpoint. The quality of health service received significantly lower score from the patients than the nurses (P-value = 0.03). Conclusion: The quality of the physical environment, observance of the patient's dignity and quick considered as the priority of action to improve the patient-centered care. It is recommended that the authorities should give priority to these dimensions in order to increase satisfaction and loyalty of patients.

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