فهرست مطالب abbas sheikhtaheri

Cancer patients are more exposed to opportunistic infections, such as COVID-19, due to their poor health status. This study aimed to identify the clinical characteristics of cancer and non-cancer patients with COVID-19 that may lead to death, intubation, and ICU admission.

A Multicenter Cross-Sectional study was conducted on confirmed COVID-19 adult patients with and without a history of cancer from March 2019 to March 2021. Demographic and clinical features, ICU admission, intubation, and discharge status have been extracted from patients’ medical records. Chi-square, odds ratio, Mann-Whitney test, and logistic regression were used to analyze the data.

The death rate in 1332 cancer patients was 28% compared to the 91464 noncancer patients which was 9% with an odds ratio of 3.94 and p<0.001. ICU admission rates among the cancer group were 43%, while in the noncancer group, it was 17.9% (p<0.001). Moreover, intubation was done for 20.9% of cancer patients and 7.4% of non-cancer patients (p<0.001). However, no significant difference was observed between the two groups in terms of length of stay in the hospital. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that age, level of consciousness, SPO2, and autoimmune disorders were associated with mortality in cancer patients with COVID-19.

This study showed that older age, loss of consciousness, low oxygen saturation, and suffering from autoimmune disorders were the predictors of death in cancer patients with COVID-19. These results can have important implications for the management and care of cancer patients with COVID-19.

The number of available musculoskeletal tumor registries is relatively small. We developed a registry system focused on the clinical aspects of musculoskeletal tumors to improve quality of care indexes through the development of updated national protocols. In this study, we describe our protocol, challenges, and the data collected during the implementation of the registry system in a single-specialty orthopedic center in Iran.  

Three main malignant bone tumors, including osteosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma, and chondrosarcoma, were included in the registry. After establishing a steering committee, we defined the minimum data set based on a literature review and suggestions from an expert panel. Accordingly, the data collection forms and the web-based software were developed. The collected information was categorized into 9 classes, including demographics, socioeconomic data, signs and symptoms, past medical history, family history, laboratory tests, tumor characteristics, primary treatment, and follow-up. Data collection was performed both retrospectively and prospectively.  

Until September 21, 2022, a total of 71 patients were registered (21 patients prospectively and 50 patients retrospectively) and consisted of 36 (50.7%) cases of osteosarcoma, 13 (18.3%) cases of Ewing sarcoma, and 22 (31%) cases of chondrosarcoma. The implementation of the registry demonstrated promising data regarding the tumor characteristics, delay patterns, and socioeconomic status of the patients. 

The main lessons learned were to develop a monitoring system to make sure that the new staff is adequately trained for the registration process as well as avoid the inclusion of time-consuming useless data in the minimum data set.

Electronic prescription has been implemented in many countries and the first use of this technology was in outpatient care. In this study, perspective of physicians and pharmacists working in private and public sector (social security organization affiliated clinics) in Guilan province were studied.

This study was performed in 2021. The questionnaire was developed using a literature review and evaluated in terms of reliability and validity. The final questionnaire (9 dimensions and 31 questions) was distributed electronically among all private and public physicians and pharmacists (social security organization affiliated clinics) in Guilan province. 405 people (268 physicians and 137 pharmacists) answered the questions. The data were analyzed via descriptive analysis using SPSS version 26.

Mean of dimensions included actual use (3.41), social influence (3.09), behavioral intention (3.05), expected effort (2.96), habit (2.93), trust (2.91), expected performance (2.81), facilitating conditions (2.62) and price value (2.55). The score of price value indicted that participants believed that the cost and benefits of the system is not balanced. The score of facilitating conditions showed that users did not have adequate financial, human, educational and supportive resources.

According to results, electronic prescription system was not considered a useful technology based on the participants’ perspectives. Barriers, vendors’ cooperation to improve the system, government’s legal and regulatory support should be considered to remove adoption barriers and improve electronic prescription system in ambulatory settings.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurological developmental disorder characterized by impaired social interactions, stereotypic movements and repetitive and limited behaviors and interests. Given the increasing statistics of autism in children in the world and in Iran, the extent of problems and burdens that this disorder creates for the child, family and society, it is a necessity to identify the causes and factors related to ASD. Moreover, data on this disorder are limited nationally and geographical differences are rarely assessed. To conduct great research on autism spectrum disorders requires a large number of samples to identify the epidemiological trend of the disorder. Registrations are one of the efficient methods that can provide this data in a long time and on a large scale. The purpose of this study is to describe the steps of designing and launching an autism registration system in Tehran, which can be a prelude to creating a system at the national level.

In this study, the aim was to present a protocol to design and launch a registry for patients with autism spectrum disorders in Tehran for clinical and research purposes. The entered population in this system includes individuals (including children over 6 months and adults) with previous diagnosis or new diagnosis referred to the certain centers (Child Psychiatric Clinic of Tehran Psychiatric Institute, Ali Asghar Children's Hospital, Razi Hospital and Roozbeh Hospital) and also, physicians' offices who are members of the program's strategic committee. Patients are admitted to the program if the diagnosis of ASD is confirmed by a pediatrician, child neurologist, psychiatrist, neurologist, psychiatrist, neurologist, child psychologist according to the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria.Then personal and demographics information and clinical and laboratory findings will be recorded by data entry experts in the system. Patients will be followed up by telephone or through coming back of the patients to the certain centers. Data analysis is done in accordance with the objectives of the registration program and is performed based on conventional statistical methods. Also, an annual report of the profiles of registered patients is sent to the beneficiaries of the program at the end of each year, including the Vice Chancellor for Research of the participating universities, the Ministry of Health, and related associations and groups. Initially, stakeholders in the field of autism spectrum disorders from different and related specialties were identified from partner universities of medical sciences in Tehran (Iran, Tehran, Welfare Sciences) and various centers accepting autism spectrum patients and the Strategic Committee for Autism Registration as a subset of the Vice Chancellor for Research was established in 1398 in Iran University of Medical Sciences. The Strategic Committee is responsible for developing guidelines and executive protocols consisting of experts in the fields of general psychology, child psychology, social medicine, epidemiology, information technology, health informatics and health information management, as well as the executive committee and executive groups for follow-up and conducting decisions of Strategic Committee was considered. Data Management and Information Technology (IT) Department was  Responsible for Software Design; Data collection and quality control group was responsible for data collection, quality control, feedback and data correction; The epidemiology and data analysis team was also responsible for designing and conducting the data analysis program.The population entered in this system includes people (including children over 6 months and adults) with previous diagnosis or new diagnosis of the referral centers. A child is considered to have diagnostic criteria for autism spectrum disorders according to the DSM 5 Diagnostic Guide if he or she has serious impairments in communication and social interactions as well as a limited and repetitive pattern of behavior, interests, and activities. Patients enrolled in the program have been diagnosed with ASD by a pediatrician, child psychiatrist, pediatric neurologist, psychiatrist, or neurologist.Child Psychiatric Clinic of Tehran Psychiatric Institute, Ali Asghar Children's Hospital, Razi Hospital and Roozbeh Hospital and also physicians' offices who are members of the program's strategic committee are covered now. Based on the objectives of the Strategic Committee and literature review for the design of registration systems, the following data collection was considered: Personal and socio-demographic characteristics (such as name, age, gender, ethnicity, parents' relatives, place of birth and residence, birth rank, education) Clinical information (such as history of developmental delay, name of the disorder, presence of seizures, presence of mental retardation and other psychiatric diagnoses, personal and family history of the disorder) Laboratory and imaging

Then personal and demographics information and clinical and laboratory findings will be recorded by data entry experts in the system. Patients will be followed up by telephone or through coming back of the patients to the certain centers. Data analysis is done in accordance with the objectives of the registration program and is performed based on conventional statistical methods. Also, an annual report of the profiles of registered patients is sent to the beneficiaries of the program at the end of each year, including the Vice Chancellor for Research of the participating universities, the Ministry of Health, and related associations and groups.In order to validate and evaluate the feasibility and ease of implementation of the data collection form, this form was piloted in several centers and then based on the results of experimental implementation, the questions were reviewed and finalized. After compiling the final version of the data collection form, the software registry system was designed for the web. In order to maintain data security, a separate access and a specific access level for each user is determined and hosted on the servers of Iran University of Medical Sciences. Data analysis is done in accordance with the objectives of the registry and is performed based on the required statistical methods. Also, an annual report on the profile of registered patients of the registry is sent to the beneficiaries of the program at the end of each year, including the Vice Chancellor for Research of the participating universities, the Ministry of Health and related associations and groups.In 2014, the Deputy Minister of Research at the Ministry of Health and Medical Education (MOHME) of Iran decided to establish registration systems for various diseases and health consequences (4). In this regard, the launch of a clinical-research registry in autism in Tehran was considered. Setting up an autism spectrum disorder information registry in Tehran as a preliminary study for its establishment at the national level can help to integrate research activities and create a research network and prevent incoherence, rework and waste of time and energy in related research activities in the country. In addition to the direct use of data for research activities, such systems can also be used to identify patients eligible for clinical trials. In addition, it is possible to study the natural course of this disorder, track individuals and help increase the country's indigenous knowledge based on local and regional information. In addition, launching a program to record the autism spectrum disorders will help policymakers and health planners in the country to decide and plan for it.In addition, is not possible for policy makers to plan in an integrated, comprehensive, accurate and up-to-date way without having access to such online information systems. In the long run, this study aims to record all ASD information across the country in this system to eliminate the huge challenges of patients, physicians and health decision makers and also Smoothing the way for research further.

Establishing registry systems, especially chronic diseases seems to be a need for work so that health policy makers can make the right policies and plans to improve the level of health. One of the most important features of registries is the enrolling of patients in the time period and the possibility of increasing the collection of patients in the country. Due to the relatively high prevalence large number of causes and increasing high financial burden of autism spectrum disorders that it imposes on society, it is a suitable c case to evaluate prevalence, environmental and genetic factors through recording all clinical and epidemiological information

 Identifying the strengths and weaknesses of curriculums and updating them in accordance with the future needs of students and the qualifications corresponding to their job positions is of particular importance. This study aims to identify the shortcomings of the current curriculum of Health Information Management for PhD students in Iran.

 This descriptive study was conducted in 2021. The study population included all professors in the department of health information technology & management and the department of medical informatics and all PhD students and graduates in health information management from medical universities in Iran who were selected for the study by a census sampling method. Data were collected by a researcher-made questionnaire, by which the relevance and applicability of the courses and amount of required revision in the courses were evaluated. Data were analyzed in SPSS software, version 19. The answers to the open-ended questions were analyzed using the qualitative content analysis approach.

 Out of 67 participants, 61.1% were faculty members. In terms of relevance, the courses “Clinical Governance Information Systems” and “Health Information Economy”, and in terms of applicability, the courses “Clinical Governance Information Systems”, “Health Information Economy”, and “Methods for Improving and Managing Information Quality” were identified as the courses required modifications. Regarding the amount of required revision, most of the courses, except for “Advanced Statistical Methods”, “Thesis”, “Research Seminar” and “Design and Development of Health Information Systems No. 1”, needed serious revision.

 It seems necessary to modify the curriculum of health information management for PhD students in Iran to improve the quality of education in this filed and respond to the needs of graduates based on the changes in the health field toward digital health and health information technologies.

Problems facing the health information systems and the potential of cloud computing make the use of this technology as a priority for healthcare organizations to migrate to the cloud. The purpose of the present study is to introduce a migration framework for health information systems to the cloud.

This study is a Mix method research that was performed in the first stage to identify the relevant factors of a qualitative study until the initial design of the resu lting framework was obtained and, in the second phase using the two - stage quantitative Delphi method the framework was evaluated.

The overall component of the proposed framework, which had 149 components consists of four layers of governmental, ex ecutive, organizational and technical three major groups of stakeholders in government, the service providers (CSPs) and the service consumers (CSCs).

Cloud computing is a new issue in the health, and the cloud migration process is one of the c ost - effective solutions for managing health information systems. Due to the lack of knowledge of health executives on cloud computing, they may not be able to make appropriate decisions on doing the migration. Thus, having a comprehensive framework in addi tion to enhancing the knowledge decision makers will help them make better decisions while at the same time planning a roadmap for successful migration.

Polycystic ovary syndrome is a chronic disease with a wide range of complications. Due to the complexity of this syndrome, patients often suffer from limited knowledge. With the unprecedented growth of technology, smartphones have gained significant importance due to their availability to facilitate learning and increase self-awareness. This study aimed to identify the requirements of self-care applications for patients with polycystic ovary syndrome.

In this applied study, a quantitative-descriptive design was conducted in 2021. The requirements of the polycystic ovary syndrome applications including educational content, data elements, and features were assessed using needs assessments from patients and gynecologists. In this regard, a questionnaire was administered to patients (n=45) and gynecologists (n=17) in Fatemieh Educational and Medical Center in Hamadan, Iran. The obtained data (44 questionnaires) were analyzed by SPSS software version 24 using descriptive statistics and the necessary components were identified.

The findings indicated that in the view of patients and gynecologists, all educational components were considered necessary except learning the causes of the disease. Finally, out of 53 questioned features in 11 subjects, only “displaying self-care messages for the monthly menstrual cycle” and “messages for nocturnal sleep management” were identified as unnecessary.

The features presented in this study can be considered as a model for designing mobile applications for polycystic ovary syndrome.

COVID-19 is a viral respiratory disease caused by SARS-COV-2, which affects the lower respiratory tract, and causes pneumonia in patients. The disease rapidly spread around the world after the outbreak in late 2019, and became one of the challenges of health care systems. Older adults and patients with underlying diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, and diabetes are at a higher risk for COVID-19, and need more care. Due to its prevalence in older adults and normal population, diabetes is important in terms of putting a burden on intensive care systems during the COVID-19 pandemic. Diabetes is also one of the most common comorbidities in patients with COVID-19, which is considered a risk factor for these patients. In addition, the association between diabetes and respiratory distress syndrome is not yet fully understood. Some studies have suggested that diabetes is not associated with respiratory distress syndrome while some others suggest that pulmonary dysfunction follows diabetes. It is also unclear what factors are associated with disease prognosis and mortality in COVID-19 patients with diabetes. In the current study, we aimed to investigate the status of demographic factors, comorbidities, lifestyle and laboratory results in diabetic patients with COVID-19, and compare them with the non-diabetic population and determine the prognostic factors in diabetic patients with COVID-19.

This study is a cross-sectional study performed on 415 patients with COVID-19 in the COVID-19 ward of Shahid Mohammadi Hospital of Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences from February to September 2020. Based on their diabetes, these patients were divided into diabetic and non-diabetic groups. Then, data on demographic factors, smoking, opioids and alcohol consumption, comorbidities (chronic lung disease, asthma, obesity, chronic kidney disease, type 2 diabetes, dementia, malnutrition, chronic neurological disease, rheumatic disease, hypertension, hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, favism, hyperlipidemia, and malignant neoplasms), some personal lifestyle features were determined in diabetic patients and compared with non-diabetic populations. Also, the information on biochemical variables, including hemoglobin, white blood cells, lymphocyte, neutrophils, hematocrit, platelets, prothrombin time, alanine aminotransferase, bilirubin, aspartate transaminase, lactate dehydrogenase, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, blood glucose, sodium, potassium, C reactive protein were measured patients of the two groups. Also, heart rate, respiratory rate, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, temperature, and oxygen saturation were determined in diabetic and non-diabetic patients.Quantitative variables were described by number (n) and percentage (٪). Qualitative variables were described using mean and standard deviation (SD), median and interquartile range (IQR). The Shapiro-Wilk test was used to assess the normality of quantitative variables. Independent t-test or Man-Whitney U test, and Chi-square or Fisher's exact tests were used to compare variables. In all statistical analyses, a p-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Statistical analysis was performed by IBM SPSS version 22 (IBM Corporation, Armonk, NY, USA).

The findings of our study showed that in the diabetic patients’ group 82 patients (41.2%) and in the non-diabetic population 135 patients (55.32 %) were men. In the diabetic group, the mean age of recovered patients was 58.52 years and the mean age of those in the deceased was 57.73 years, which was not statistically significant. In the non-diabetic group, the mean age of patients recovered was 47.98 years and the mean age of those in the deceased was 62.58 years, which was statistically significant (p <0.001). In the diabetic population, 773 patients (42.69 %) and in the non-diabetic population, 132 patients (54.09 %) had positive PCR. In the diabetic population, 18 patients (10.59 %) and in the non-diabetic population, 10 patients (4.09 %) had chronic kidney disease. In the diabetic population, 11 patients (6.43 %) and in the non-diabetic population, 13 patients (5.32 %) smoked. In the population of diabetic patients, the mean level of hemoglobin (P = 0.002) and lymphocyte count (P = 0.043) in the living cases were significantly lower than those in the deceased. The mean levels of neutrophils (P = 0.012), aspartate transaminase (P = 0.020), lactate dehydrogenase (P = 0.041), blood urea nitrogen (P = 0.003), and creatinine (P = 0.011) in the diabetic population were significantly higher in the living cases than those in the deceased, but the comparison of these cases in the non-diabetic population did not show a significant difference.In diabetic patients, there was a significant difference between the number of survival and death in each group of positive and negative PCR (P = 0.011); While the difference in mortality and survival between PCR positive and negative groups in non-diabetic subjects was not significant. In diabetic patients, a significant difference was also reported between the number of survival and death in groups with CKD and without CKD; while in non-diabetic participants there was no significant difference between CKD and non-CKD groups in terms of survival and death. Corticosteroid treatment also significantly led to a difference in the number of survival and death cases among the diabetic population, but a comparison of these cases in the non-diabetic population did not show a significant difference.In the group of diabetic patients, respiration rate (number of breaths per minute) was significantly lower among the living cases compared to those in the deceased (P < 0.05), while our findings in this regard did not show a significant difference in non-diabetic individuals. Also, in diabetic patients, the amount of oxygen saturation was significantly higher among the living cases than those in the deceased (P < 0.05), in which case the same results were observed in non-diabetic patients (P < 0.05).

In this study, the mortality rate in diabetic patients was significantly associated with lymphopenia, elevated aspartate transaminase, lactate dehydrogenase, blood urea nitrogen, and creatinine compared to non-diabetic patients.  Our findings suggest that individuals with type 2 diabetes are more prone to complications of COVID-19 and its related mortality; therefore these patients need more medical attention in the COVID-19 pandemic. Also, considering that so far limited studies have focused on the possible differences in the complications of Covid-19 disease and its mortality in diabetic individuals compared to non-diabetic individuals, it is recommended that more studies with higher sample sizes in other populations be performed to confirm the results of the present study.

Due to the high prevalence of attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and the problems that this disorder causes for patients and their parents, scientist believe that the treatment of this disorder is particularly important. Among the available treatments, sensory integration and sensory diet has proven to have a powerful impact on the improvement of these children. In the present study, we aimed to design and evaluate a sensory diet mobile application for children with ADHD.

We conducted the present applied developmental research in two stages. First, we performed a needs assessment with 15 occupational therapists; then, the prototype of the mobile application was designed under the Android platform. Finally, to evaluate the usability and satisfaction of users with the QUIS (version 5.5), we tested the application with 12 parents of children with ADHD after two weeks of using the program. Also, we analyzed the data through descriptive statistics using SPSS (version 22).

The participants confirmed the six definitions out of 14 needs, nine out of 10 features of the application, and all 67 exercises. Also, general section of the designed program includes: The patient profile, the definition of attention deficit/ hyperactivity, the definition of a sensory diet, exercise list, weekly exercise schedule, the record of exercise date, and a section for setting. Mobile application usability evaluation showed that the users evaluated the application with a mean score of 8.35 out of nine points which is considered at a good level.

Sensory diet mobile application can be used to help improve children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

The rapid spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) turned into a global pandemic and has already plunged health systems all over the world into an unprecedented crisis. The start of the third wave in the fall of 2020 is likely to trigger a higher prevalence in the upcoming months. This article analyzed the inpatients’ time series data in Hormozgan province to forecast the trend of COVID-19 inpatients using time series modelling.

To forecast COVID-19 inpatients in Hormozgan province (Iran), this time series study included data related to the daily new cases of 1) confirmed inpatients, 2) suspected inpatients, 3) deaths, 4) alive discharged patients, 5) admitted cases to intensive care units (ICUs), 6) ICU discharged cases, and 7) ICU inpatient service day were collected from 22 hospitals in the province from 20 February to 13 November 2020. Autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMAX) and Prophet methods were applied for forecasting the trend of inpatient indicators to the end of the Iranian official calendar year. We used the Python programming language for data analysis.

Based on the findings of this study which proved the outperformance of Prophet to ARIMAX, it can be concluded that time series of suspected inpatients, confirmed inpatients, recovered cases, deaths, and ICU-inpatient service day followed a downward trend while ICU-admission and discharge time series are likely taking an upward trend in Hormozgan to the end of the current Iranian calendar year.

Prophet outperformed ARIMAX for inpatient forecasting. By forecasting and taking appropriate prevention, diagnostic and treatment, educational, and supportive measures, healthcare policy makers could be able to control COVID-19 inpatient indicators.

Electronic medical records play an important role in the management of patients. In order to develop cardiovascular electronic medical record systems, determining minimum data set is necessary. This study aimed to determine the essential data elements for electronic cardiovascular medical record systems.

Medical records of patients with cardiovascular diseases and also the literature were reviewed to develop a questionnaire regarding the data elements. 87 cardiovascular specialists and residents as well as 50 nurses working in cardiovascular departments of hospitals affiliated with Iran University of Medical Sciences participated in the study. The data elements with at least 75% of agreement were considered essential for electronic medical records. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics in SPSS software.

The essential data elements were classified in 29 classes including admission, death, patients’ main complaints, clinical signs, observations, medications, cardiac surgery, risk factors, laboratory and pathology results, consultation, resuscitation, anesthetic, electrocardiography, blood transfusion or blood products, rehabilitation measures, angiography/venography, exercise testing, endoscopy/colonoscopy, medical imaging, echocardiography, nursing interventions, allergies and side effects, therapeutic implantations, cardiac examinations, physical examinations, angina, referrals, social backgrounds and history. Totally, out of 276 data elements, 245 elements were identified as the essential dataelements for electronic cardiovascular medical record systems.

In this study, essential data elements were defined for electronic cardiovascular medical records. Identifying cardiovascular minimum data set will be an effective step towards integrating and improving the management of these patients' information.

 People with hearing impairments have not accessed well to health information sources compared to people with normal  hearing. The study aims to show the status of electronic health literacy in persons with hearing impairments. The methodology was content analysis based on of Graneheim, B. Lundman’s pattern. Thirty-five participants with hearing impairments and 14 persons with normal hearing were selected. Sampling started with the purposive method and continued until data saturation. A total of 76 semi-structured interviews were made and analyzed using MaxQDA 10.4.15.1.  The current state of electronic health literacy in people with hearing impairment was emerged as a theme, included three main categories contains poor electronic health literacy, underlying causes for poor electronic health literacy, and consequences of low electronic health literacy in persons with hearing impairment. Poor electronic health literacy consists of poor online health information seeking skills, poor understanding, and processing of online health information, and poor evaluation of online health information. Four main subcategories for  poor electronic health literacy were unequal access to conventional health information, incongruous health communication, lack of considering persons with hearing impairment in producing health education programs, and poor electronic health information sources for persons with hearing impairment. In addition, consequences of low electronic health literacy are composed of two subcategories, including reliance on available information sources and the promotion of misconceptions in the deaf community.  Low theoretical and applied knowledge about various aspects of health might be the main factor in people with hearing impairments that influences their nature of deafness and obstacles to access health information sources Online content generation fitting the needs of those persons recommended creating access to health information for them. In addition to this, the development and enhancement of information searching skills, understanding and processing, evaluation, and use of online health information are essential.

This study aimed to investigate the demographic factors, comorbidities, and laboratory results of diabetic patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) severity.

This cross-sectional study enrolled 171 diabetic patients with COVID-19 admitted based on chest CT scan findings to the COVID-19 ward of Shahid Mohammadi Hospital in Hormozgan, Iran from 1 March to 1 June, 2020. Reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test was performed, and the patients were divided into three groups (mild, moderate, and severe) based on the severity of disease. Then we investigated the demographic factors, comorbidities, and laboratory results of diabetic patients with severe COVID-19 severity.

Regarding comorbidities, there was no significant difference between the three groups. Moreover, there was a significantly lower lymphocyte count in the severe group compared to moderate and mild groups (P = 0.001). We showed the increase in blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine to be significantly associated with increased disease severity (P = 0.001 and P = 0.009, respectively). We also showed a significant difference in aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels between different groups of patients (P = 0.002) with a higher level of AST in the severe group (P = 0.020). Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and troponin were also significantly associated with an increase in COVID-19 severity in patients with diabetes (P = 0.013 and P = 0.002, respectively).

There was a significant association between disease severity and BUN, creatinine, AST, LDH, and troponin levels in diabetic patients with COVID-19. There was no significant association between different groups regarding severity of disease and comorbidities.

To better manage the COVID-19 pandemic, it is necessary to carefully study information about patients with COVID-19.

To report clinical and epidemiological characteristics of COVID-19 patients in southern Iran.

This cross-sectional retrospective study was conducted based on data extracted from the COVID-19 registry of Hormozgan. Data from patients with confirmed COVID-19 based on CT-scan results or real-time reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) results until September 25, 2020, were analyzed for this study (2351 inpatients). We reported demographics, signs and symptoms on admission, comorbidities, and treatments, as well as clinical outcomes, hospital stay, and intensive care unit (ICU) admission.

Most of patients were men (1235/2351; 52.5%) and the most common signs and symptoms included cough (1343/2351; 57.1%), shortness of breath (1224/2351; 52.1%) and fever. The most common comorbidities included hypertension (410/2351 (17.4%), diabetes (343/2351; 14.6%) and chronic cardiac disease (282/2351; 12%). Also, 228 patients (9.7%) were hospitalized in the ICU. The mortality rate was 12.5% (295/2351) among all patients and 64.5% (147/228) in ICU wards, respectively. The number of cases with comorbidities including hypertension, chronic cardiac disease, diabetes, chronic neurological disorders, chronic kidney disease, chronic hematologic disease, malignant neoplasm, moderate or severe liver disease, dementia and fauvism in the ICU was significantly higher than the general wards.

Most characteristics of our patients were similar to those reported in other studies; however, our patients were younger and suffered from a less severe disease. The mortality rate in the ICU was higher than other studies.

Smart home supports the elderly to continue living in their own home using information and communication technology independently. This study aimed to survey technologies of smart home and their positive outcomes on the life quality of older people.

This narrative review article was conducted in 2021 using Scopus, PubMed, Web of Sciences, and Science Direct Databases. After the final survey, 25 resources obtained the required validity based on the study aim. The studies without recording technologies of smart home and their positive outcomes were excluded.

In the literature review, 31 leading technologies for the smart home were identified. These technologies were classified into 11 groups. Also, 16 positive outcomes were identified due to applying these technologies in the smart home for older people. The essential outcomes are increasing awareness, sense of security and independence of the elderly, empowerment, and boosting self-confidence, strengthening communication among the older people, and reducing social isolation of them.

Due to the problems of aging in our country, identified groups of smart home tech-nologies can be applied based on the needs of the elderly to enjoy the positive outcomes of these technologies to improve their quality of life.

Patients with colorectal cancer experience disabilities and complications that lead to reduced quality of life. To reduce the symptoms and complications of the disease, reduce the costs, and increase the quality of life, patients should manage and control their disease. The aim of this study was to identify the requirements of a mobile-based application for self-management of patients with colorectal cancer.

The present descriptive-applied research was conducted from 2020 to 2021. The requirements of the colorectal cancer application (including educational content, data elements, and capabilities) were assessed using needs assessments from patients, physicians, and nurses. The questionnaire was distributed among 114 people at the Cancer Institute and Firouzgar Hospital in Tehran. The obtained data (88 cases) were analyzed using the SPSS software, and the required components were identified.

Except the need for training for fatigue, other educational needs were considered necessary. In terms of essential data elements and according to the perspective of the patients, physicians, and nurses, the clinical data were more important than the demographic data. In addition, out of 79 features in 10 categories including drug management, nutrition and diet management, pain management, fatigue management, stress reduction and control, anxiety and depression, sleep management, exercise and physical activity, smoking and alcohol cessation, communication, and ancillary tools of a self-management application, 39 features were considered necessary.

Applying the requirements mentioned in the present study can improve the self-management of the patients with colorectal cancer. The features provided can be used as a model for designing software, systems, or applications.

Mobile applications are a new method to educate parents of children with cancer. The aim of this study was to identify the educational needs for designing an application for parents of children with acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

In this descriptive study, the information was collected through a researcher-made questionnaire whose validity and reliability were evaluated. The study population was all pediatric oncologists in Iran, Tehran and Shahid Beheshti Universities (16 people) who were selected by census method. The data were analyzed using SPSS software.

According to the result, among the main concepts of the disease, only the methods of preventing leukemia were not identified. Chemotherapy considerations, nutrition and diet management, positiveness, bone marrow transplantation and physical activity management were identified as essential.

Since the requirements for designing educational software for educating parents of children with cancer were met basically, by determining the technical capabilities of educational software, it is possible to help educate the self-care of parents and reduce their problems.

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers and a serious concern for women's health. Providing sufficient information to these patients increases the level of their participation and improves the quality of their care. Therefore, given the high survival rate of this cancer, it is necessary to understand their information needs. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the information needs of women with breast cancer.

The study is a systematic review of the literature. A search of the databases of PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct and ProQuest has been conducted on studies published in English over the period 2010-2017. 2881 articles were retrieved and evaluated for title, abstract and full text and after eliminating duplicate and unrelated cases, 18 articles related to the purpose of the study were selected. The articles were then analyzed using content analysis.

Of the 2881 retrieved articles, 18 studies on the information needs of patients with breast cancer were finally reviewed. According to these studies, most information needs were in the areas of diagnosis and treatment (first rank), daily activities (second rank), disease acceptance and self-image (third rank), personal and family life (fourth rank) and sexual health (fifth rank). The most important information needs in the field of diagnosis and treatment was outcomes and side effects of treatment, in the area of daily activities on the impact of disease on social activity, in the area of disease acceptance and self-image was breast reconstruction, body appearance and need for consultation, in the area of personal life, cancer risk for the family and in the area of sexual health was the effect of cancer on sexual attraction were the most cited needs.

Providing information to patients is one of the most important factors in supporting cancer care and understanding the information needs is the first step in seeking information. Patients with breast cancer are interested in receiving information that will help them understand cancer, make decisions about it, and manage their treatment.

Electronic health enables patients share their own medical information and this sharing poses security risks. The purpose of this research is to review, and compare algorithms and methods for solving patient information security, from different aspects, including user revocation, and access control capabilities. The strengths and weaknesses of these algorithms are identified.

Information sources or data:

 This review conducted using online databases including PubMed, Web of Science, and Science Direct.

Selection methods for study:

 Keywords including health information systems, computer security, access to information, cloud computing and social networking was used to search. Articles published in 2009 to 2019 were selected. 29 articles related to solving the problem of user revocation and 7 articles related to solving the problem of access control were selected. Related articles were reviewed, then the access control and user revocation solutions were compared.

To protect the confidentiality of patient information, a cryptographic method is suggested before data sharing. This solution has the problem of revocation of the users. To solve this problem, various methods have been proposed. In this paper, these solutions are compared in different respects. The features of these methods have been compared in terms of instant revocation, key update, cloud free, encrypted text updates, and short revocation. Finally, methods for access control by the patients were also compared.

Security issues associated with health data make patients hesitant to post sensitive health information and share it with health providers. In this paper, algorithms and health information security methods were compared. Most of the solutions to revocation of users need re-encryption methods, also, access control solutions do not have the required flexibility. In the future, better methods should be presented.

The rapid outbreak of COVID-19 has resulted in a global pandemic in 2020. Information sources such as disease registries through accessing quality, valid, accurate, and timely data empower researchers and health authorities to study and develop appropriate actions. Our study describes the protocol for implementation of regional COVID-19 registry in Hormozgan province (RCovidRH).

We followed approved phases for the development of RCovidRH to cover the population in Hormozgan. Missioned to develop and implement the protocol, the registry’s steering committee was made up of 10 members from subject fields of the registry at the core and 5 subgroups. The main purpose of the registry is to provide a comprehensive information profile of demographic, clinical, laboratory, imaging, and treatment data of confirmed and probable COVID-19 patients in Hormozgan. The data is retrospectively and prospectively collected. Case report form (CRF) was mainly based on International Severe Acute Respiratory and Emerging Infection Consortium (ISARIC) CRF. A web-based, 2-language software was also developed to facilitate data collection and storage. Data analysis is to be conducted with collaboration of clinical physicians, data-mining specialists, and epidemiologists after reaching appropriate sample size.

We included data related to demographic and identification, onset and admission, signs and symptoms at hospital admission, admission signs and symptoms, comorbidities, pathogen testing, assessment, laboratory, imaging, complications, treatment and medication, and outcomes. We found this registry was limited by incomplete clinical data for small fraction of outpatients, incomplete or inaccurate address by referred people due to fear of social rejection, delay in data entry at the facilities due to workload.

This registry via organizing clinical and epidemiological COVID-19 data increases the potentiality of joint studies. Recognition and coordination of a registry is highly important to solve its limitations to collect data. Other universities and provinces can apply our model to develop COVID-19 registries or data sets for this disease.

Self-care in breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy is an important factor in controlling and reducing the side effects of chemotherapy which leads to a greater adherence to chemotherapy and improved quality of life. Given the role of smartphones in individuals' lives and their apparent capacities for self-care, the aim of this study was to present a mobile-based self-care application for patients with breast canceundergoing chemotherapy.

This applied developmental research was conducted in two stages. At first, needs assessment was performed to identify the needs of oncology and general surgery specialists and patients with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy. Then, the prototype of the application was designed under the Android platform. Finally, to evaluate the usability and satisfaction of users, the standard Quiz questionnaire version 5.5 was completed by 30 patients for one week. The data were analyzed by SPSS software version 21 using descriptive statistics.

According to the findings 32 elements (among 36) of the needs assessment questionnaire were considered as necessary by the participants. General features of the program included: patient profiles, side effects management, life style and system capabilities. The usability assessment of the application showed that the users rated the application as good with a mean score of 7.9 (out of nine points).

Mobile-based care applications can be used to help patients with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy in managing side effects and obtaining self-care skills.

Patients are required to take medications to control and prevent the progression of hypertension, one of the most common chronic diseases. The widely use of cellphone text messages make it easy and convenient to enhance medication adherence The current study aimed to evaluate the effect of text message reminders on blood lipids control in patients with chronic hyperlipidemia.

The sample population in this randomized clinical trial, consisted of sixty patients divided into control and intervention groups at Imam Hossein Comprehensive Health Service Center in Borazjan in 2018. The patients in the intervention group received a daily reminder message for six weeks. Data were collected by Morisky questionnaire was completed by both groups at baseline and six weeks later. The data were analyzed by SPSS software version 25 and R version 2. 5. 3.

the results indicated a significant difference between the two groups. (p<0.001).

Sending reminder messages to patients with chronic hyperlipidemia over a six-week period is effective and leads to improved medication adherence.

The picture archiving and communication system is a digital device designed for processing, archiving and communicating medical images with different parts of hospitals, physicians and radiologists. Therefore, the current study aimed to determine the impact of the system on users’ satisfaction with imaging services before and after its implementation.

This cross-sectional, descriptive-analytical study was conducted in two phases, before and after the implementation of the picture archiving and communication system, and on all physicians and radiologists (N= 51) working in Nohome Dey Hospital in Torbat Heidaryeh. At first, the overall satisfaction of the users from the system was evaluated, and then the result was compared with their satisfaction before and after the implementation of the system. A questionnaire was used to collect data which were then analyzed by SPSS using descriptive statistics and Wilcoxon test.

The overall user satisfaction was 55.5 (maximum score 65). However, there was a statistically significant difference (P < 0.0001) between the mean scores before and after the implementation of the system (23.74 and 32.05, respectively). 

The level of users’ satisfaction (physicians and radiologists) increased after the implementation of the picture archiving and communication system; as a result, the system can improve the satisfaction of physicians and radiologists.

Considering the growth of cancer in the world and also in Iran, the oncology ward is considered as one of the most significant wards in hospitals. Information quality plays a key role in improving the performance of this ward. Dashboards can track the key indicators and improve the performance of oncology wards through transferring information to managers.Therefore, the current study aimed to identify the performance indicators for oncology wards, based on the the needs of decision makers, and then design and evaluate an appropriate dashboard.

In the first stage, the key performance indicators were determined using a questionnaire which was completed by all 30 oncology administrators in private hospitals as well as hospitals affiliated with Medical Universities in Tehran. In the second stage, QLIKVIEW software was used to design a dashboard which was evaluated by hospital directors, and directors of the oncology wards in Shohada Haftom Tir and Firouzgar Hospitals.

Seven key performance indicators, including the number of patients, days off, hours of training, personnel, complaints, as well as income and expense were identified. The satisfaction mean scores of hospital directors, the technical staff and the internal director of the oncology ward were 7.5±0.32, 7.4±0.39, and 7.3±0.37, respectively.

Dashboards can collect data scattered between various depatments, summarize them, and provide key performance indicators. The information available in dashboards in oncology wards can provide a basis for informed decision making to improve the performance of the ward.