Health Situation and Trend in the Islamic Republic of Iran

[NO ABSTRACT

The range and diversity of providers' viewpoints towards the Iraqi primary health care system: an exploration using Q-methodology.

BACKGROUND: The increasingly recognized need for reorganizing the primary health care services in Iraq calls for a comprehensive assessment of the system to better understand its problems and needs for development. As part of such comprehensive assessment and due to the important role of primary health care providers in adopting any change, we ought to explore the range and diversity of viewpoints of primary health care providers towards the Iraqi primary health care system. METHODS: This explorative study was carried out in Erbil governorate, Iraq from May to July 2011. Data were collected from primary health care providers using Q-methodology to elicit subjective viewpoints and identify shared patterns among individuals. Forty primary health care providers representing eight primary health care centers sorted 41 statements reflecting different aspects of the Iraqi primary health care system into a distribution on a scale of nine from "disagree most" to "agree most". By-person factor analysis was used to derive latent viewpoints through centroid factor extraction and varimax rotation of factors. RESULTS: Analysis of the participants' Q-sorts resulted in four distinct viewpoints among primary health care providers toward the current primary health care system. One factor emphasized positive aspects of the current primary health care system that is content with the current primary health care system. The other three factors highlighted the negative aspects and they included (i) professionally-centered viewpoint, (ii) comprehensive perception and problem-based solutions and (iii) critical to leadership/governance aspects of the system. CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed diverse viewpoints of primary health care providers toward the current Iraqi primary health care system and recognized the particular issues related to each viewpoint. The findings can contribute to a better understanding of health policy makers and primary health care managers concerning the problems facing the primary health care system that might contribute to change in the management of this system

AI-assisted optimal energy conversion for cost-effective and sustainable power production from biomass-fueled SOFC equipped with hydrogen production/injection

This study introduces a novel energy conversion and management framework to reduce carbon emissions in the energy sector and expedite the global shift towards sustainable practices. The system is driven by biomass-based solid oxide fuel cells for efficient power generation. Central to this approach lies the integration of additional hydrogen injection provided by a thermally-driven vanadium chloride cycle, aiming to enhance the quality of the syngas entering the fuel cells. The system is also combined with a super-critical CO2 cycle that generates power by passively enhancing performance through flue gas condensation. The proposed model's feasibility is evaluated in depth, techno-economically, considering thermodynamics and specific cost theories. As part of artificial intelligence, a neural network model is coupled with the genetic algorithm to determine the best operating status while minimizing computation time. According to the results, the suggested new integration results in higher efficiency and lower cost than a similar system without hydrogen injection. The results further show that the triple-objective optimization achieves output power, second-law efficiency, and overall system cost of 3425 kW, 48.5 %, and 2.3 M$/year, respectively. Eventually, the gasifier is the main contributor to the highest level of exergy destruction, and fuel utilization and current density are the most important parameters in modeling.</p

Minimizing the airborne particle migration to the operating room during door opening

Abstract Airborne bacteria that enter an open wound during surgery can result in post-operative infections, commonly referred to as surgical site infections (SSIs). The level of contaminants is usually lower in the operating rooms (ORs) in contrast to adjacent corridors. Penetration of particles carrying bacteria through the doorway during a door opening gives rise to the OR contaminant level as door-opening and passage may occur every 2.5 minutes during a given surgical activity. The authors had previously conducted a successful research study to reduce the contaminant migration from an anteroom, through the doorway, into an Airborne Infection Isolation Room (AIIR). In contrast to the AIIRs, the ORs are usually over-pressured related to the surrounding environments. However, both ORs and AIIRs share the same interest in avoiding air exchange between the room and the adjacent space. This paper, built upon the previous research achievement, proposes an innovative design solution to reduce the bacteria penetration to the ORs during a door opening and staff passage. Previously achieved results from CFD simulation and laboratory measurement confirmed that installing a ventilation unit that supplies a high air volume into the OR through low-velocity wall diffusers, may significantly reduce the contaminant migration to the OR during door-opening activities.</jats:p

Minimizing the airborne particle migration to the operating room during door opening

Airborne bacteria that enter an open wound during surgery can result in post-operative infections, commonly referred to as surgical site infections (SSIs). The level of contaminants is usually lower in the operating rooms (ORs) in contrast to adjacent corridors. Penetration of particles carrying bacteria through the doorway during a door opening gives rise to the OR contaminant level as door-opening and passage may occur every 2.5 minutes during a given surgical activity. The authors had previously conducted a successful research study to reduce the contaminant migration from an anteroom, through the doorway, into an Airborne Infection Isolation Room (AIIR). In contrast to the AIIRs, the ORs are usually over-pressured related to the surrounding environments. However, both ORs and AIIRs share the same interest in avoiding air exchange between the room and the adjacent space. This paper, built upon the previous research achievement, proposes an innovative design solution to reduce the bacteria penetration to the ORs during a door opening and staff passage. Previously achieved results from CFD simulation and laboratory measurement confirmed that installing a ventilation unit that supplies a high air volume into the OR through low-velocity wall diffusers, may significantly reduce the contaminant migration to the OR during door-opening activities.</p