Knowledge Utilization Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Research Centre for Emerging and Reemerging Infectious Diseases, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.
Int J Equity Health. 2024 Nov 30;23(1):258. doi: 10.1186/s12939-024-02335-9.
The economic sanctions imposed on Iran have had a significant impact on the country's healthcare system. The sanctions have affected the availability and affordability of cancer diagnosis and treatment services, leading to a range of challenges for patients with cancer. This study aimed to explore these challenges and gain a deeper understanding of the impact of economic sanctions on cancer care in Iran.
The research method involved qualitative in-depth interviews with 53 experts, including clinical and basic sciences specialists, who were selected through purposeful sampling. The data were analyzed through qualitative content analysis using MAXQDA 2020.
A total of 900 codes were identified, categorized into three primary groups-input, process, and output-and further divided into 13 subcategories. Within the input category related to health systems providing cancer care to patients, several critical issues emerged. These included instability in financing mechanisms and regulations, shortages of materials, low-quality imported materials, high material prices, and loss of human resources. Meanwhile, in the process of delivering diagnostic and treatment procedures to cancer patients, concerns centered around delayed and inadequate care, non-adherence to guidelines, limited international collaborations, and reduced provider satisfaction. Finally, during the output phase, the main subcategories extracted were lower effectiveness, increased adverse events, and increased equity gaps.
Although economic sanctions against Iran have not officially targeted healthcare and access to drugs, they have restricted access to standard equipment and modern technologies, leading to increased delays, misdiagnosis, and diagnostic and therapeutic side effects in cancer patients to the point of death.
对伊朗实施的经济制裁对其医疗保健系统产生了重大影响。制裁影响了癌症诊断和治疗服务的可及性和可负担性，给癌症患者带来了一系列挑战。本研究旨在探讨这些挑战，并深入了解经济制裁对伊朗癌症护理的影响。
采用定性深入访谈方法，选取 53 名专家作为研究对象，采用目的抽样法进行选择。使用 MAXQDA 2020 进行定性内容分析对数据进行分析。
共确定了 900 个代码，分为输入、过程和输出三个主要组，并进一步分为 13 个亚组。在为患者提供癌症护理的卫生系统输入类别中，出现了几个关键问题。这些问题包括融资机制和法规不稳定、材料短缺、进口材料质量低、材料价格高以及人力资源流失。同时，在为癌症患者提供诊断和治疗程序的过程中，关注的焦点是护理延迟和不足、不遵守指南、国际合作有限以及提供者满意度降低。最后，在输出阶段，提取的主要亚组包括效果降低、不良事件增加和公平差距扩大。
尽管对伊朗的经济制裁尚未正式针对医疗保健和药物获取，但它们限制了标准设备和现代技术的获取，导致癌症患者的延误、误诊以及诊断和治疗副作用增加，甚至死亡。
