The Experience of Healthcare Service Stratification in Controlling COVID-19 in Iran

Document Type : Letter to Editor

Authors

1 Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Institute for Futures Studies in Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran and Department of Health Management, Policy and Economics, Faculty of Management and Medical Information Sciences, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran

2 Health Services Management Research Center, Institute for Futures Studies in Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran and Department of Health Management, Policy and Economics, Faculty of Management and Medical Information Sciences, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran

3 Health Services Management Research Center, Institute for Futures Studies in Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran

10.34172/jhad.1125

Abstract

A new coronavirus, called COVID-19, caused the outbreak of pneumonia from Wuhan, China, to the whole country in late 2019, affecting other countries of the world, one after another. COVID-19 has posed great health threats to public health around the world. The COVID-19 outbreak in Iran has caused many people to develop the disease. Since the onset of COVID-19 in Iran, healthcare services for the management of COVID-19 have been stratified at three levels: The primary prevention level, which involves measures such as education and promotion of personal and environmental health as well as protection and screening; the secondary prevention level, which includes the first-level outpatient care, second-level specialized inpatient care, and third-level superspecialized inpatient care; and the tertiary prevention level, involving rehabilitation care during the recovery period in the referral system. The use of a referral and service stratification system within the national healthcare network, which covers all households up to the most peripheral level (home care level), has been one of the important contributions to the management of COVID-19 in Iran, which could enhance healthcare service delivery to patients efficiently and cost-effectively based on local evidence-based protocols.

Keywords

References

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Health and Development Journal
Volume 12, Issue 4
November 2023
Pages 148-151

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History

  • Receive Date: 10 May 2024
  • Revise Date: 07 June 2024
  • Accept Date: 05 July 2024

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