Evaluation of the responsiveness of the Iranian health system to the needs of the elderly during the COVID-19 pandemic: a community-based study
Abstract Background The elderly population is growing globally. As a vulnerable part of society, the elderly are exposed to more harm when facing pandemics of infectious diseases, so the quality of the health system’s response is critical for these individuals. Considering a paucity of studies in th...
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BMC
2025-07-01
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| Series: | BMC Health Services Research |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-025-13018-8 |
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| author | Sepideh Niazie Heshmatolah Heydari Hadi Hayati Ali Dehghani |
| author_facet | Sepideh Niazie Heshmatolah Heydari Hadi Hayati Ali Dehghani |
| author_sort | Sepideh Niazie |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background The elderly population is growing globally. As a vulnerable part of society, the elderly are exposed to more harm when facing pandemics of infectious diseases, so the quality of the health system’s response is critical for these individuals. Considering a paucity of studies in this area, this research assessed the responsiveness of the Iranian health system to the needs of the elderly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods This cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study was conducted on 259 elderly at the Lorestan University of Medical Sciences from April to September 2022. A combination of stratified multi-stage cluster systematic sampling, was used to recruit participants. The WHO Multi-country Survey Study on Health and Responsiveness was used for data collection. Data were analyzed by using SPSS v.24 software and descriptive/inferential statistics such as the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test, Pearson correlation, independent t-test, ANOVA, and multivariate regression at the statistical significance level of P <.05. Results The data analysis revealed that the overall responsiveness of Iran’s health system was average (79.99 ± 11.4). The best dimension of responsiveness was access to family support (10.17 ± 1.3), and autonomy was the weakest (7.46 ± 2.5). According to multiple linear regression analysis, the variables of age, gender, education level, medical history, number of children, marital status, and monthly income had a significant relationship with the total health responsiveness score (P <.005). According to the adjusted R2 of 0.94, this regression model was able to explain 94% of variations in the mean total responsiveness score. Conclusion The results showed that the Iranian health system’s performance in responding to the needs of the elderly during the COVID-19 pandemic was acceptable. These findings can help the health system promote its responsiveness during future epidemics and pandemics and better fulfill the needs of the elderly. Since infrequent studies are available in this field, various dimensions of responsiveness are suggested to be investigated more deeply. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c1d85b28d0604dde8b39532edc67dbad |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1472-6963 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Health Services Research |
| spelling | doaj-art-c1d85b28d0604dde8b39532edc67dbad2025-08-20T04:01:56ZengBMCBMC Health Services Research1472-69632025-07-012511810.1186/s12913-025-13018-8Evaluation of the responsiveness of the Iranian health system to the needs of the elderly during the COVID-19 pandemic: a community-based studySepideh Niazie0Heshmatolah Heydari1Hadi Hayati2Ali Dehghani3 MSc in Geriatric Nursing, Student Research Committee, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Lorestan University of Medical SciencesSocial Determinants of Health Research Center, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Lorestan University of Medical SciencesAdministration Department of Pharmacoeconomics and Management, School of Pharmacy, Razi Herbal Medicines Research Center, Lorestan University of Medical SciencesDepartment of Nursing, School of Nursing & Midwifery, Shiraz University of Medical SciencesAbstract Background The elderly population is growing globally. As a vulnerable part of society, the elderly are exposed to more harm when facing pandemics of infectious diseases, so the quality of the health system’s response is critical for these individuals. Considering a paucity of studies in this area, this research assessed the responsiveness of the Iranian health system to the needs of the elderly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods This cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study was conducted on 259 elderly at the Lorestan University of Medical Sciences from April to September 2022. A combination of stratified multi-stage cluster systematic sampling, was used to recruit participants. The WHO Multi-country Survey Study on Health and Responsiveness was used for data collection. Data were analyzed by using SPSS v.24 software and descriptive/inferential statistics such as the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test, Pearson correlation, independent t-test, ANOVA, and multivariate regression at the statistical significance level of P <.05. Results The data analysis revealed that the overall responsiveness of Iran’s health system was average (79.99 ± 11.4). The best dimension of responsiveness was access to family support (10.17 ± 1.3), and autonomy was the weakest (7.46 ± 2.5). According to multiple linear regression analysis, the variables of age, gender, education level, medical history, number of children, marital status, and monthly income had a significant relationship with the total health responsiveness score (P <.005). According to the adjusted R2 of 0.94, this regression model was able to explain 94% of variations in the mean total responsiveness score. Conclusion The results showed that the Iranian health system’s performance in responding to the needs of the elderly during the COVID-19 pandemic was acceptable. These findings can help the health system promote its responsiveness during future epidemics and pandemics and better fulfill the needs of the elderly. Since infrequent studies are available in this field, various dimensions of responsiveness are suggested to be investigated more deeply.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-025-13018-8ResponsivenessHealth systemElderly health requirementsCOVID-19 |
| spellingShingle | Sepideh Niazie Heshmatolah Heydari Hadi Hayati Ali Dehghani Evaluation of the responsiveness of the Iranian health system to the needs of the elderly during the COVID-19 pandemic: a community-based study BMC Health Services Research Responsiveness Health system Elderly health requirements COVID-19 |
| title | Evaluation of the responsiveness of the Iranian health system to the needs of the elderly during the COVID-19 pandemic: a community-based study |
| title_full | Evaluation of the responsiveness of the Iranian health system to the needs of the elderly during the COVID-19 pandemic: a community-based study |
| title_fullStr | Evaluation of the responsiveness of the Iranian health system to the needs of the elderly during the COVID-19 pandemic: a community-based study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Evaluation of the responsiveness of the Iranian health system to the needs of the elderly during the COVID-19 pandemic: a community-based study |
| title_short | Evaluation of the responsiveness of the Iranian health system to the needs of the elderly during the COVID-19 pandemic: a community-based study |
| title_sort | evaluation of the responsiveness of the iranian health system to the needs of the elderly during the covid 19 pandemic a community based study |
| topic | Responsiveness Health system Elderly health requirements COVID-19 |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-025-13018-8 |
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