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Background: Knowledge networks, such as Communities of Practice (CoP), are essential elements of knowledge management. They play a crucial role in assimilating various knowledge domains and converting individual knowledge into collective knowledge. This study aimed to assess the concept of knowledge networks and identify facilitators and barriers influencing knowledge sharing in infectious diseases, according to Iranian experts. Methods: This qualitative study employed content analysis and used purposive and snowball sampling. The data were collected via online or face-to-face interviews with 25 participants with diverse expertise in infectious diseases (both clinical and non-clinical), epidemiology, knowledge management, and knowledge-based business management in Iran. The thematic analysis technique was used to code the interviews, and the collected data were analyzed using MAXQDA 20 software. Results: Thematic analysis of the interviews led to 437 codes. These codes were categorized into two groups: facilitators and barriers. The facilitators shaping the knowledge network for infectious diseases were classified into three main categories: individual factors, organizational factors, and communication mechanisms. Individual factors involved two themes: strengthening knowledge exchange between experts in infectious diseases and personal characteristics such as the criteria for network membership. Organizational factors comprised three themes: organizational and trans-organizational factors, management strategies, and interactions with non-governmental sectors. Communication mechanisms included two themes: the use of information technology and knowledge brokers. In addition, three important challenges were identified as barriers influencing the knowledge network: administration and policy-making, organizational and trans-organizational, and personal challenges. Conclusions: Several facilitators and barriers influence the formation of an infectious disease knowledge network, which must be addressed to ensure its effectiveness, development, and long-term sustainability. Addressing these factors will enable the network to effectively integrate diverse knowledge and contribute to advancing infectious disease management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The COVID‐19 pandemic has compelled governments globally to formulate policies addressing the unique needs of their populations. These policies are critical in disseminating accurate information and enhancing health literacy during crises. Objective: This narrative review aims to identify and assess effective information and health literacy policies implemented during pandemics. Methods: A comprehensive literature search was performed across five electronic information sources (PubMed, Science Direct, ProQuest, Emerald Insight, Scopus), supplemented by Google Scholar. The analysis employed Walt and Gilson's health policy triangle framework to categorize and evaluate the findings. Results: The review revealed that the policies could be grouped into several key categories: educational programs, laws and regulations, knowledge sharing, national programs, and different information sources. The development of these policies involved multifaceted processes influenced by political, scientific, economic, cultural and social factors, as well as the involvement of multiple stakeholders. Conclusions: This review offers significant insights and actionable recommendations for policymakers and stakeholders. By understanding the dimensions and components of effective information and health literacy policies, stakeholders can better prepare for and respond to future pandemics and similar health crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many libraries are currently facing challenges in obtaining sufficient financial support to continue and develop their services. Libraries around the world employed new strategies for overcoming this issue by adopting various revenue generation and marketing activities. This study is a systematized review conducted on revenue generation methods used in different types of libraries. To identify the relevant studies, two authors independently searched scholarly databases including Medline, Web of Science, Emerald, Science Direct, ERIC, ProQuest, Scopus, LISTA, PubMed Central, and Google Scholar search engine for published articles from 1995 to 2020. Articles were selected based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. In total, 3461 articles were retrieved from which 56 were included for final analysis. This study identified 10 main categories with 75 sub-categories as different types of revenue generation methods suggested or used by various libraries around the world. Academic and public libraries were mostly reported in the reviewed articles as using different types of revenue generation. The most commonly used methods in libraries for revenue generation were public or governmental financial aid and receiving fees for providing services. The use of social networks, web space, and utilizing e-commerce principles were identified as the newest revenue-generating method, which were being implemented and developed in some public and academic libraries. Budget plays an important role in keeping library resources and services active and up to date. Therefore, discovering new opportunities for marketing and fundraising, as well as showing the value and return on investment of libraries is very important. Adopting and using methods introduced in this paper for revenue generation can help libraries to overcome some of their financial challenges well into the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: As a newly emerged concept and a product of the twenty-first century, health information governance is expanding at a rapid rate. The necessity of information governance in the healthcare industry is evident, given the significance of health information and the current need to manage it. The objective of the present scoping review is to identify the dimensions and components of health information governance to discover how these factors impact the enhancement of healthcare systems and services. Methods: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, ProQuest and the Google Scholar search engine were searched from inception to June 2024. Methodological study quality was assessed using CASP checklists for selected documents. Endnote 20 was utilized to select and review articles and manage references, and MAXQDA 2020 was used for content analysis. Results: A total of 37 documents, including 18 review, 9 qualitative and 10 mixed-method studies, were identified by literature search. Based on the findings, six core categories (including health information governance goals, advantages and applications, principles, components or elements, roles and responsibilities and processes) and 48 subcategories were identified to form a unified general framework comprising all extracted dimensions and components. Conclusions: Based on the findings of this scoping review, health information governance should be regarded as a necessity in the health systems of various countries to improve and achieve their goals, particularly in developing and underdeveloped countries. Moreover, in light of the undesirable effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in various countries, the development and implementation of health information governance models at organizational, national and international levels are among the pressing concerns. Researchers can use the present findings as a comprehensive model for developing health information governance models. A possible limitation of this study is our limited access to some databases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose. The aim of this umbrella review was to identify the main information needs of breast cancer survivors. Since several reviews have already been done on this topic, conducting an umbrella review not only combines their results but also gives a comprehensive picture and informative summary of breast cancer survivors' needs. Method. The search was performed in PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, ProQuest, Cochrane, and Google Scholar from inception to the end of March 2024. This review was conducted according to the JBI methodology for umbrella reviews, and the report was based on Rutten's category for information needs of patients with cancer. After removing duplicate and irrelevant articles, 14 systematic reviews were included in the analysis. The JBI checklist was used for evaluating the quality of eligible articles. Results. The information needs were classified into 11 main categories and 86 subcategories. As a result of this umbrella review, one category was added to Rutten's 10 categories. Also, treatment information needs were introduced as the main identified category. Information on supportive care needs ranked second, and body image/sexuality information needs ranked third with a slight difference. Conclusion. The information needs outlined in the present study can serve as a general model to help clinical decision makers and policymakers in order to better understand the needs of the group and meet the information needs of the population. Implications for Cancer Survivors. These recommendations can promote and develop targeted interventions to reduce the psychosocial consequences of breast cancer survivors and increase their quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on identifying and ranking the functions of Web 2.0 technologies for physicians in Iran. It explores how these technologies can enhance access to current health knowledge, improve communication, and support public education. It aims to provide solutions for better communication and networking among physicians by leveraging Web 2.0 tools, highlighting their potential to address challenges in health service management and information sharing.

Background: Planned behaviors and self-care against the coronavirus are two important factor in controlling its spread and self-care behaviors depend on the level of health literacy. This research was conducted to determine the mediating role of health literacy in the relationship between elements of planned behavior and self-care in dealing with the Covid-19. Methods: In this descriptive-analytical quantitative study, the sample size was calculated using Cochrane's formula and considering a p-value of 0.51, α = 0.05, and d = 0.05, and 313 students were selected based on stratified and random method. To gather data and assess various aspects of variables, a questionnaires were utilized, focusing on health literacy, self-car and planned behavior. The relationship between the variables was examined by SPSS version 26 and via descriptive statistics, including the mean and standard deviation, and inferential statistics such as Pearson's correlation coefficient (P = 0.05), path analysis, and determining the standard coefficients between self-care and planned behavior, mediated by the indicators of the health literacy. Results: A significant difference was found between the level of health literacy of women and men. The comparison of the mean health literacy and self-care behavior in terms of other variables did not show any significant difference. Meanwhile, the comparison of health status control behaviors, hand washing, and mask use did not show any significant difference between the two groups. A positive and significant correlation was found between self-care behaviors, attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and behavioral intention. The relationship of health literacy and psychological variables of attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control with self-care against COVID-19 was significant. Conclusion: The direct and significant impact of health literacy on individuals' self-care behaviors against the coronavirus was not observed. However, health literacy did have a significant effect on subjective norms. This finding is important because subjective norms significantly influenced individuals' behavioral intention, which in turn had a significant effect on self-care behaviors against the coronavirus. Thus, health literacy played a mediating role in this relationship. Furthermore, attitude emerged as the strongest predictor of behavioral intention, exerting a direct effect. Conversely, perceived behavioral control did not directly and significantly affect students' self-care behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social media are new tools that can be used for facilitating health information management. However, social media's benefits and challenges for information documentation have not been identified well. This study sought to identify the benefits and challenges of Instagram to information documentation based on Iranian physicians' viewpoints. In this qualitative study, a semi-structure interview was administered to 28 Iranian physicians, and data were collected using purposive and snowball sampling method. The data analysis was done using the thematic analysis method by MAXQDA 10. Based on the findings of this study, six benefits for information documentation over Instagram were identified include sharing lessons learned, developing incidental learning, empowering communications, supporting decision-making, managing personal brand and translating knowledge. Also, based on Iranian physicians' viewpoints, three challenges were found for information documentation in Instagram include ethical and privacy challenges, poor information quality and damaging professional image. Iranian physicians have different attitudes towards using Instagram for information documentation. For control challenges, regulatory and security issues must be addressed to protect physicians' privacy and more education is required for the health professionals to make them more aware of the nature of using social media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Retraction is a mechanism for eliminating and correcting serious problems in the scientific literature and increasing awareness among members of the scientific community about unreliable literature. The objectives of this study were to identify the characteristics and reasons for retraction, analyze citations, and describe the scientific, altmetrics, and technological impacts of hematology retracted papers. Retracted papers were searched using the hematology category of the Web of Science database. The search yielded 101 retracted papers in WoS. Statistics methods such as frequency, mean, interquartile range (IQR), and Pearson's Correlation were used for data analysis. The findings showed the retracted papers were published in 28 different hematology journals. The majority of retracted documents were in Article type (n = 81). The mean time interval of the retracted papers from the first publication to retraction was 50.83 months. The largest number of retracted papers belonged to the United States (n = 46). The most frequently reported reason for retraction was misconduct (n = 55). The findings of this study provide a landscape into the characteristics and citations of retracted papers before and after retraction in addition to the scientific, technological, and altmetrics impacts of hematology retracted papers in the scientific community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The application of structural equation modeling (SEM), a statistical modeling tool for scale construction and development, is becoming increasingly popular in the health sciences librarianship and information science research. This study explores the application of SEM to health science libraries by describing the development and validation of a modified LibQUAL scale within an Iranian health sciences library setting. Methods: A literature search was performed across several information sources to identify candidate items to be included in the primary questionnaire. After translation, linguistic validation, and a pilot study, two cross-sectional studies were performed. SEM modeling framework was used for the assessment of the reliability and validity of the modified LibQUAL scale. The internal consistency of the scale was evaluated by measuring Cronbach's alpha coefficient and composite reliability. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were used for the evaluation of the construct validity of the scale. Smart-PLS software was used for statistical modeling. Results: Composite reliability and Cronbach's alpha coefficient for each scale ranged between 0.90 and 0.95, indicating adequate internal consistency with the LibQUAL scale. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the three-factor model of the LibQUAL scale. The convergent validity of the scale was supported, as the average variances extracted for all proposed factors were above 0.50. The discriminant validity was also confirmed using Fornel and Larcker and Heterotrait--Monotrait Ratio (HTMT) methods. Conclusion: Evaluation of psychometric properties of the translated and locally modified LibQUAL in the Persian language indicated adequate reliability, factorial validity, and stability of this instrument for Iranian health sciences libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The present review aimed to systematically identify and classify barriers and facilitators of conducting research with a team science approach. Methods: PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Scopus, Web of Science, Emerald, and ProQuest databases were searched for primary research studies conducted using quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods. Studies examining barriers and facilitators of research with a team science approach were included in search. Two independent reviewers screened the texts, extracted and coded the data. Quality assessment was performed for all 35 included articles. The identified barriers and facilitators were categorized within Human, Organization, and Technology model. Results: A total of 35 studies from 9,381 articles met the inclusion criteria, from which 42 barriers and 148 facilitators were identified. Human barriers were characteristics of the researchers, teaming skills, and time. We consider Human facilitators across nine sub-themes as follows: characteristics of the researchers, roles, goals, communication, trust, conflict, disciplinary distances, academic rank, and collaboration experience. The barriers related to organization were institutional policies, team science integration, and funding. Organizational facilitators were as follows: team science skills training, institutional policies, and evaluation. Facilitators in the field of technology included virtual readiness and data management, and the technology barriers were complexity of techniques and privacy issues. Conclusions: We identified major barriers and facilitators for conducting research with team science approach. The findings have important connotations for ongoing and future implementation of this intervention strategy in research. The analysis of this review provides evidence to inform policy-makers, funding providers, researchers, and students on the existing barriers and facilitators of team science research. Trial registration: This review was prospectively registered on PROSPERO database (PROSPERO 2021 CRD42021278704). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Team science refers to research initiatives considered in collaboration with scientists from different disciplines or fields. This paper presents a bibliometric analysis for visualization of global research activity concerning the combination of cancer and the COVID-19 pandemic using a team science approach. A bibliometric study was implemented using Web of Science from 2019 to 2021. We analyzed citations to identify description and citations analysis of results, most prolific countries, international research collaboration, most prolific institutions, research areas, most cited papers, and most productive journals. The preliminary data of 2,313 studies that adopted a team science approach were recorded and analyzed. Team science is becoming progressively popular in cancer research. The United States was the most active country, followed by Italy and China. The United States, the United Kingdom, and Italy had the highest level of cooperation with other countries. The most prolific institution was Harvard University, followed by University of London and the University of Texas System. Head and Neck Journal for the Sciences and Specialties of the Head and Neck, Frontiers in Oncology, and eCancerMedicalScience were the most productive journals. Governments, organizations, policymakers, and researchers should pay attention to team science approach at times of disasters such as cancer and COVID-19 to achieve the best strategies for controlling cancer that is currently a world problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Libraries are socio-cultural institutions that influence different groups of society. Vulnerable groups, such as drug addicts, are exposed to various diseases such as mental disorders. Along with drug treatments, psychological interventions such as book therapy (library use) play an effective role in improving their mental health. This research was conducted to determine the effect of library use on mental health improvement in homeless people who have recovered from addiction. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted in the Tolo centers of Tehran in 2019. The research population was 67 people who recovered from addiction and were living in Tolo centers. Data collection was performed with a self-report questionnaire. The validity and reliability of the questionnaire were confirmed and Cronbach's alpha was 0.89. Results: The results of the present study revealed that the libraries of Tolo centers affect the mental health of the clients more than the emotional wellbeing of the clients. The effect of using Tolo library on "psychological wellbeing" was less than "moderate", and its effect on "emotional well-being" and "social well-being" was between "low and medium". Most of the participants were satisfied with the educational workshops and services provided by the library, but they were not satisfied with the "information resources" and "library space". The effectiveness of library services in the mental health of the clients was "moderate to low". Conclusion: It is necessary to expand the role and position of libraries in improving the mental health of vulnerable people, especially drug addicts, through the promotion of information services and the recruitment of qualified employees in libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

'Journal quality' is by nature, a dynamic and multidimensional concept that is influenced by many factors. So far, no studies have been conducted to examine the architecture of this concept in depth. The aim of this scoping review was to map out the current status of research in this broad area, identify as many 'journal quality' criteria as possible from the fragmented literature, and develop a conceptual framework for this concept. We used the six-stage scoping review framework developed by Arksey, O'Malley (2005), and Levac (2010). A total of 116 documents met the eligibility criteria and 203 'quality criteria' were extracted. The identified 'quality criteria' were grouped into five themes: ethical, content structure and technical, scientific rigor, editorial structure, and promoting and indexing. Although this study found gaps in empirical research, it provides a valuable basis for future research in this field. Furthermore, it is a first step towards improving the transparency of 'journal quality' criteria in order to develop a 'quality rating' or 'quality evaluation' system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Mental health literacy is especially important during adolescence and youth, because the peak of the onset of mental disorders occurs in this period. The present study aimed to identify the effective systemic factors for improving Iranian adolescent mental health literacy from the Perspective of policymakers and experts. Method: This qualitative study was performed on 21 policymakers and health literacy/mental health experts since May 2020 to September 2020 in the workplace of the interviewees in Tehran. Purposive sampling (snowball method) was conducted based on experience, expertise, and the willingness to participate in an interview. All interviews were conducted with the presence of the interviewer at the interviewees' workplace in Tehran. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed via the conventional content analysis method. Results: Five themes were extracted as systemic factors for improving adolescent mental health literacy. Themes were "mental health literacy training", "integration and coordination of stakeholder organizations", "resources and facilities", "continuous assessment" and "provision of information." Conclusion: Before policy-making and planning to enhance adolescents' knowledge and awareness of mental health issues, it is necessary to attract policymakers' attention to the macro level and identify direct and indirect strategies for the correct implementation of policies adopted in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite the importance of health grey literature, there is not a comprehensive information system for managing these valuable resources in Iran. Objectives: This study aimed at identifying the barriers to and facilitators of implementing a comprehensive national information system for health grey literature. Material and method: This study applied the qualitative research method. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted among 19 experts in related fields. A qualitative content analysis was used to analyze the data in MAXQDA. The data were codified and revised constantly and classified in some selected main and sub‐categories based on their relative similarities and differences. Results: Data analysis identified some barriers to the implementation of an information system for health grey literature in Iran, including two main categories (and some sub‐categories): managerial issues (performance related issues, coordination issues, monitoring and supervision issues and attitudinal issues) and issues on data integration (data collecting issues, data recording issues, quality control issues, and issues on data organization, dissemination and use). Conclusion: Designing a national system for health grey literature in Iran needs a powerful authority, removing possible intersectional conflicts, a selection committee, written policies and strict quality control criteria, and protocols for storage, access, retrieval and metadata evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online social networks have been used to enhance human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) prevention, diagnosis, and treatment programs worldwide. This study aimed to develop a conceptual model of using online social networks in improving health literacy and medication adherence among people living with HIV/AIDS in Iran. This mixed-method sequential exploratory study was conducted in three phases. Firstly, a series of semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of 29 HIV-positive patients were conducted to investigate the perceptions and experiences of HIV-positive patients about using online social networks to support health literacy and medication adherence. Thematic analysis was used to analyse qualitative interviews, extract potential components, and design a conceptual model. Then, a Delphi study with 27 HIV-positive patients was subsequently conducted to examine the consensus of patients on the proposed model. Finally, the trustworthiness and credibility of the proposed model were reviewed and evaluated by expert panel members from epidemiology and public health. Seven themes and 24 sub-themes emerged from the qualitative interviews. Five themes encompassed components of online social networks that supported communication and information-seeking behaviour of people living with HIV/AIDS. The two other themes encompassed social support and health-related outcomes including medication adherence. The credibility of the proposed conceptual model was confirmed methodologically using the expert panel and Delphi technique. Our findings highlighted that using online social networks has empowered Iranian people living with HIV/AIDS, making them more connected, safe, and able to access HIV/AIDS-related information and services. The role of online social networks in improving health literacy and medication adherence was also demonstrated in a conceptual model to understand the supportive components of online social networks in the HIV care continuum as well as customized interventions to improve the success of antiretroviral therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies have increasingly emphasised the importance of using social media for knowledge sharing in healthcare. However, few studies have explored physicians' perspectives. The present study aimed to explore the potential roles of social media for facilitating knowledge sharing from Iranian physicians' perspectives. In the present qualitative study, semi-structure interview was administered to 21 physicians by adopting a purposive snowball sampling method. The data analysis was done using the thematic analysis method by MAXQDA 10. The analysis of interviews resulted in the extraction of 164 codes into three themes and eight sub-themes. Accordingly, the main benefits of social media for sharing health knowledge were as follows: supporting information encountering, stimulate knowledge sharing and facilitating tacit knowledge sharing. Although physicians have different attitudes toward using social media, similar to other health professionals, facilitating the role of social media to facilitate knowledge sharing can be beneficial to physicians The study aims to provide an opportunity for physicians and healthcare management to better understand the impact of social media in health knowledge sharing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background: Capabilities offered by Web 2.0 tools have attracted many academic libraries. The present study aimed to identify factors affecting the use of Web 2.0 tools in selected Iran medical university libraries including Iran, Tehran, and Shahid Beheshti universities of medical sciences. Methods: The study was conducted through a survey distributed among librarians working in the libraries of Iran, Tehran, and Shahid Beheshti universities of medical sciences. The data was collected using a questionnaire which examined the factors affecting the use of Web 2.0 technologies in terms of three general categories: factors related to librarians, users, tools/technology, and organizations. In order to ensure the content validity, the opinions of 10 medical library and information science faculty members were used. Further, the reliability of the questionnaire was confirmed by calculating the Cronbach's alpha. Findings: The results of the study indicated that among the librarian-related factors, the greatest impact was related to the teaching Web 2.0 applications to the librarians with the average of 4.19. Considering user-related factors, the users' need to use these tools had the greatest impact with an average of 4.4. Regarding the tools/technological-related factors, Internet speed, Internet bandwidth, and filtering some Web 2.0 tools, with an average of 4.62, had the most inhibitor effect to adopt these tools. Finally, the support of library managers was the most influential factor for adopting Web 2.0 tools in libraries in terms of organization-related factors. Conclusions: Identifying the factors influencing the adoption of Web 2.0 tools and planning to control the inhibitor factors in using these tools can help libraries to appropriately adopt and use these technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this review is to present the social media roles that facilitate knowledge management processes. This paper used a systematic literature review method based on PRISMA guidelines. The literature search was conducted using the following five electronic scientific databases: Web of Knowledge, Science Direct, Emerald, PubMed and Scopus. The search identified 82 selected works and the findings showed that social media facilitates knowledge acquisition by being used as a source of knowledge, facilitating knowledge accessibility and influencing knowledge creation and creating an interactive environment. Social media has created a new dimension of knowledge organisation by evolving knowledge storage, retrieval and classification activities. Social media has developed into a new flexible form of user's communication by removing knowledge-sharing barriers, and accelerated knowledge sharing, in particular collaborative sharing. Finally, social media facilitates knowledge application activities such as knowledge translation, decision-making, education, problem-solving, team work and research process. The knowledge activities in social media need to be monitored for quality and reliability, and endangerment of ethics, users' privacy, fake news, false information and negative comments need to be maintained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the models and frameworks developed on "research impact'. We aim to provide a comprehensive overview of related literature through scoping study method. The present research investigates the nature, objectives, approaches, and other main attributes of the research impact models. It examines to analyze and classify models based on their characteristics. Forty-seven studies and 10 reviews published between 1996 and 2020 were included in the analysis. The majority of models were developed for the impact assessment and evaluation purposes. We identified three approaches in the models, namely outcome-based, process-based, and those utilized both of them, among which the outcome-based approach was the most frequently used by impact models and evaluation was considered as the main objective of this group. The process-based ones were mainly adapted from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation logic model and were potentially eligible for impact improvement. We highlighted the scope of processes and other specific features for the recent models. Given the benefits of the process-based approach in enhancing and accelerating the research impact, it is important to consider such approach in the development of impact models. Effective interaction between researchers and stakeholders, knowledge translation, and evidence synthesis are the other possible driving forces contributing to achieve and improve impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Strategic purchasing is mainly focused on cost control and rational and equitable use of the resources. • It can significantly reduce the $1.2 billion turnover of high-tech medical services in Iran. • After the above-mentioned issues, this study aimed at developing a model for the strategic purchasing of high-tech medical services in Iranian health insurance organizations. Purchasing health services related to advanced medical equipment is merely based on the decision of the providers in Iran as a developing country in West Asia. This passive process makes health insurance organizations reimburse the bills retrospectively. This study aimed at developing a model for the strategic purchasing of high-tech medical services in Iranian health insurance organizations. This was a mixed-method study consisting of a qualitative and a quantitative phase. In the qualitative phase, a scoping study was performed to identify the indicators and strategies of strategic purchasing of high-tech medical services in the world and then the primary model of strategic purchasing of high-tech medical services was developed for Iranian health insurance organizations by an expert panel. In the quantitative phase, the developed model was validated by the Delphi technique. Narrative analysis of the articles yielded six main dimensions and 36 sub-dimensions of strategic purchasing of high-tech medical services each of which was relevant to one of the five main questions of strategic purchasing. The main dimensions were the position of strategic purchasing in the health system, organization and management, position of internal and external stakeholders, health technology assessment, pricing, and indicators of contracting. In the present model, six applied dimensions were achieved for implementing strategic purchasing in Iranian Health Insurance Organization. The relationship of "stewardship and position of health system" and "Position of health stakeholders" which are responsible for all resource allocation and purchasing mechanism in the health system are emphasized. Simultaneously, the model emphasized "structure and management of the provider organizations" that is important for determining the real needs of the community and managing the correct medical demand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: One of the important processes for success or failure of strategic plans in academic libraries is identifying different dimensions and factors affecting library activities and services. However, more previous studies focusing on strategic planning processes and few research have explored perspectives of academic library managers in factors affecting designed strategic plans. This article aims to identify the common factors affecting the strategic plans in Iranian academic libraries. Design/methodology/approach: After adopting a qualitative survey design, 28 Iranian academic library managers were interviewed. Purposive snowball sampling method was used to select the libraries' managers, and the data analysis was done using the thematic analysis method by MAXQDA 10. Findings: The study revealed three main themes including personal, professional and organizational factors that effect on academic libraries' strategic plans. Users' expectations and librarians' personality characteristics were identified as two sub-themes for personal factors. In term of professional factors, scientific achievement of libraries and communication skills are the most important factors. Academicals factors, managerial factors and budget alignment are most important organizational factors that affect the Iranian academic libraries' strategic plans. Originality/value: Iranian academic libraries use different approaches for developing their strategic plans. However, by revealing the common affecting factors by academic library managers, the study provides an opportunity for better controlling the academic libraries' strategic plans progresses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prevalence of mental disorders in Iran is rising for many reasons including the population growth and its problems, the collapse of the family foundation, the economic problems, etc. Epidemiological studies of psychiatric disorders play an important role in determining the general mental health of the population and policy-making and future planning of service delivery. To identify the relevant studies, two authors independently searched different scholarly databases including Embase, PubMed/MEDLINE, ISI/Web of Science (WOS), Scopus, Psych INFO, and Iranian databases such as MagIran, SID, IranPsych, and Irandoc from 1st January 2007 up to 1st July 2018. The gray literature (through Google Scholar) was also mined. Studies written in English or in the Persian language were searched. After searching the databases and removing duplicates cases, a total of 10 studies were selected and included in the study, which reported a total of 14 prevalence rates. There were a total of 72,262 participants, of whom 32,925 were male and 39,337 were female. The prevalence of psychiatric disorders in studies which used screening tool was 31.03% (95% confidence interval: 25.99-36.07). The prevalence was 25.42% in studies which used clinical interviews (95% CI: 15.96-34.88). There is an undeniable fact that the prevalence of mental disorders in Iran has been increasing, and this could be a warning to policy-makers and health system managers. Hence, it is necessary to pay attention to this issue to maintain social capital, vitality, and efficiency of individuals and society as a whole. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify the most important factors for strategic purchasing of health services in the health sector by the Iran Health Insurance Company and to provide an applicable model for other similar organizations in developing countries.Design/methodology/approach The present qualitative study was conducted in 2017 to identify the factors affecting the implementation of strategic purchasing of health services in the health sector by the Iran Health Insurance Company and to provide an indigenous and practical model through two phases: semi-structured interview followed by a Delphi process.Findings According to the findings of this study, Ministry of Welfare, Labor and Social Security plays a central role in the strategic purchasing. In addition, this was also approved by the representatives of citizens in communities concerning professional associations, insurance agencies and representative of the Council of Ministers. Model development explored 9 themes and 54 sub-themes.Research limitations/implications Based on the model, most attention has been paid to consumer role and inter-sector leadership of the company with other relevant organizations and systems including other insurance organizations and the welfare ministry. More importantly, the health insurance company should be able to communicate with providers and to choose the best providers, receiving price information through competition in the most appropriate mechanism. Guided by this model, it can strategically buy the best and the most effective services for its insured population.Social implications It might help developing societies to promote their health systems based on targeting the health budgeting and financial constraints so that it is prioritized according to the strategic purchasing criteria and consequently, economic evaluation.Originality/value The linchpins of the present study are as follow: first, the pragmatic model presented in the paper could help developing health systems to overcome the impediment in the implementation progress of strategic purchasing. Second, the model satisfies the need of enough knowledge to apply strategic purchasing in the health system. Third, the indigents have long been given special protection and consideration in the model that has continued to capture the attention of every policy-maker, in particular, developing countries, the portion of which is significant. Fourth, based on this model, attention has been paid to consumer role and inter-sector leadership of organization with other relevant organizations and systems. Fifth, this model could be correspondent for every insurance company in countries with similar developing conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Objectives After implementing a health system reform plan in Iran, Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) have been developed to provide critical care for time-sensitive critical patients. The current study aimed to explore the challenges experienced in providing and developing helicopter emergency medical services in Iran. Methods A qualitative study was conducted by using a content analysis approach. Data were collected through interviews with 27 experienced persons. Results Four main challenges facing HEMS were explored including infrastructure deficiencies, safety concerns for staff, patients and public, insufficient resource management and the problems related to staff competencies. Conclusions Based on the results, the development program of Iranian helicopter emergency medical services should be revised. It seems that developing national standards and regulations is prerequisite to improving the quality of services. Considering the safety concerns and high cost of HEMS in Iran, it is suggested that more commitment is needed for triage criteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The online version of the original article can be found at https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-023-04619-0. B Correction: BMC Medical Education (2023) 23:638 b https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-023-04619-0 Following publication of the original article [[1]], the authors corrected the first affiliation. [Extracted from the article]

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how social media may support information encountering (i.e. where individuals encounter useful and interesting information while seeking or browsing for some other information) and how this may lead to the facilitation of tacit knowledge creation and sharing. The study employed a qualitative survey design that interviewed 24 physicians who were active users of social media to better understand the phenomenon of information encountering on social media. The data was analysed using the thematic analysis approach. The study found six main ways through which social media supports information encountering. Furthermore, drawing upon knowledge creation theories, the study concluded that information encountering on social media facilitates tacit knowledge creation and sharing among individuals. The study provides new directions for further empirical investigations to examine whether information encountering on social media actually leads to tacit knowledge creation and sharing. The findings of the study may also provide opportunities for users to adopt social media effectively or gain greater value from social media use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Healthcare professionals’ use of social media platforms, such as blogs, wikis, and social networking web sites has grown considerably in recent years. However, few studies have explored the perspectives and experiences of physicians in adopting social media in healthcare. This article aims to identify the potential benefits and challenges of adopting social media by physicians and demonstrates this by presenting findings from a survey conducted with physicians. A qualitative survey design was employed to achieve the research goal. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 24 physicians from around the world who were active users of social media. The data were analyzed using the thematic analysis approach. The study revealed six main reasons and six major challenges for physicians adopting social media. The main reasons to join social media were as follows: staying connected with colleagues, reaching out and networking with the wider community, sharing knowledge, engaging in continued medical education, benchmarking, and branding. The main challenges of adopting social media by physicians were also as follows: maintaining confidentiality, lack of active participation, finding time, lack of trust, workplace acceptance and support, and information anarchy. By revealing the main benefits as well as the challenges of adopting social media by physicians, the study provides an opportunity for healthcare professionals to better understand the scope and impact of social media in healthcare, and assists them to adopt and harness social media effectively, and maximize the benefits for the specific needs of the clinical community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – This paper aims to explore the potential contributions of social media in supporting tacit knowledge sharing, according to the physicians’ perspectives and experiences. Design/methodology/approach – Adopting a qualitative survey design, 24 physicians were interviewed. Purposive and snowball sampling were used to select the participants. Thematic analysis approach was used for data analysis. Findings – The study revealed five major themes and over 20 sub-themes as potential contributions of social media to tacit knowledge flow among physicians. The themes included socialising, practising, networking, storytelling and encountering. In addition, with the help of the literature and the supporting data, the study proposed a conceptual model that explains the potential contribution of social media to tacit knowledge sharing. Research limitations/implications – The study had both theoretical (the difficulty of distinguishing tacit and explicit knowledge in practice) and practical limitations (small sample size). The study findings have implications for the healthcare industry whose clinical teams are not always physically co-located but must exchange their critical experiential and tacit knowledge. Originality/value – The study has opened up a new discussion of this area by demonstrating and conceptualising how social media tools may facilitate tacit knowledge sharing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The problem of developing and sustaining mutual trust is one of the main barriers to knowledge sharing on social media platforms such as blogs, wikis, micro-blogs and social networking websites. While many studies argue that mutual trust is necessary for online communication and knowledge sharing, few have actually explored and demonstrated how physicians can establish and sustain trusted relationships on social media.Objectives: To identify approaches through which physicians establish interpersonal trust on social media.Methods: Twenty-four physicians, who were active users of social media, were interviewed using a semi-structured approach between 2013 and 2014. Snowball sampling was employed for participant recruitment. The data were analysed using a thematic analysis approach.Results: Physicians trust their peers on social media in a slightly different way than in face-to-face communication. The study found that the majority of participants established trust on social media mainly through previous personal interaction, authenticity and relevancy of voice, professional standing, consistency of communication, peer recommendation, and non-anonymous and moderated sites.Conclusions: Healthcare professionals need to approach social media carefully when using it for knowledge sharing, networking and developing trusted relations with like-minded peers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on potential drivers and barriers of using online social networking technologies that have empowered people living with HIV in Iran. It mentions the need to focus towards improvement of online social network-based efforts to address concerns regarding gender issues, confidentiality, and anonymity. It also discusses prevalence of HIV among female sex workers and drug addicts.

Purpose -- Researchers debate whether tacit knowledge sharing through information technology (IT) is actually possible. However, with the advent of social web tools, it has been argued that most shortcomings of tacit knowledge sharing are likely to disappear. The purpose of this paper is two-fold: first, to demonstrate the existing debates in the literature regarding tacit knowledge sharing using IT; and second, to identify key research gaps that lay the foundations for future research into tacit knowledge sharing using the social web. Design/methodology/approach -- This paper reviews current literature on IT-mediated tacit knowledge sharing and opens a discussion on tacit knowledge sharing through the use of the social web. Findings -- First, the existing schools of thought in regards to IT ability for tacit knowledge sharing are introduced. Next, difficulties of sharing tacit knowledge through the use of IT are discussed. Then, potentials and pitfalls of social web tools are presented. Finally, the paper concludes that whilst there are significant theoretical arguments supporting the notion that the social web facilitates tacit knowledge sharing there is a lack of empirical evidence to support these arguments and further work is required. Research limitations/implications -- The limitations of the review include: covering only papers that were published in English, issues of access to full texts of some resources, and the possibility of missing some resources due to search strings used or limited coverage of databases searched. Originality/value -- The paper contributes to the fast growing literature on the intersection of KM and IT particularly by focusing on tacit knowledge sharing in social media space. The paper highlights the need for further studies in this area by discussing the current situation in the literature and disclosing the emerging questions and gaps for future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]