Jorjani Biomedicine Journal

Background & Objective: Diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis requires high utilization of resources and costs and assessing the utilization of health care resources is always important for budgeting and long-term planning in a highly dynamic health care system. This study aimed to investigate the resources and service utilization pattern of patients with smear positive tuberculosis in the Azadshahr district, Golestan province.
Methods: In this retrospective and cross-sectional study, all new patients with smear positive pulmonary tuberculosis who were registered and successfully completed their treatment at the health network of Azadshahr County, from April 2013 to October 2015, were entered to the study (45 patients). Data were collected from the patients’ records at the health care facilities, telephone interviews with patients and registry book of patients in the tuberculosis unite of health network.
Results: The average duration of treatment and DOTS (Directly Observed Treatment, Short-Course) implementation was 195 and 158 days per patient, respectively.  The average drug consumption was 741 pills and the average number of X-ray and laboratory tests (smear test) was 1.7 and 4.4 per patient, respectively. Each patient had been visited on average 8.8 times by physician and 27% of patients were hospitalized, their average length of stay was 1.8 days.
Conclusion: Our findings showed that the utilization pattern of resources and services in patients with tuberculosis was approximately consistent with protocols developed by World Health Organization (WHO) and Ministry of Health of Iran often.

Background & Objective:  Health is undoubtedly on of the most important aspects of human life issues and various personal and family factors can have a key role in this issue. The aim of the present study was to predict physical and mental health among married teachers of elementary schools in Karaj city based on components of decision making and problem solving, family solidarity, expression of love and physical appearance.
Methods: The research method was descriptive-analytical. The statistical population included all married teachers of elementary schools in Karaj city in the academic year 2014-2015.  358 individuals were selected based on Morgan table using random cluster sampling. Health Survey Questionnaire (SF36), Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS), Samani Family Process Scale (SFPS) and Samani Family Content Scale (SFCS) were used to collect information. The data were analyzed using Pearson correlation and multiple regressions.
Results: Pearson correlation results showed that there was a significant relationship between physical and mental health with components of decision making and problem solving (r= 0/488, P< 0/05), family solidarity (r= 0/474, P< 0/05), expression of love(r= 0/356, P< 0/05) and physical appearance (r= 0/409, P< 0/05). Results of multiple regression showed that components of decision making and problem solving with value %23.7, family solidarity with %18.3, expression of love with %12.6 and physical appearance with %12.8, in total consist %30 of physical variance and mental health.
Conclusion: Decision making and problem solving, family solidarity, expression of love and physical appearance could be used to predict the physical and mental health. By improving these factors the physical and mental health in family members could be increased.