A cross-sectional study on adaptability and pertinence of the "Health Promoting Hospitals" (HPH) initiative in Iran: health professionals' perspectives.

Abstract

Despite the expansion of the HPH approach and its application in several countries of the world, the conception is still not ascertained in Iran. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the Iranian health professionals' ideas on applicability of the HPH standards in day-to-day practices of the Iranian hospitals. A cross-sectional study. The study respondents were 354 physicians, nurses and general managers working in the ten educational hospitals affiliated to the Tabriz University of Medical Sciences in Tabriz the capital city of the East Azarbaijan province, North West of Iran. A validated self-assessment tool was used for data collection about adaptability of the HPH standards i.e. management policy, patient assessment, patient information, healthy workplace promotion and inter-sectional cooperation from September to November 2016. The mean adaptability score of the HPH standards (60.0, SD: 13.0, range: 0- 136) represents ambivalent sentiment of the Iranian health professionals. The inter-sectoral cooperation and patient information standards were suggested to be the most and lest adaptable elements respectively. Only 32% of the study respondents endorsed the HPH standards' overall appositeness in the studied hospitals. Mean adaptability score of the HPH standards was significantly different between male and female health professionals, specialized and general hospitals, small oppose to the medium and large hospitals and those without prior knowledge and the knowledgeable respondents about the HPH standards (P< 0.05). This study gave an overall snapshot regarding the applicability of the HPH strategy in typical Iranian education hospitals through a wide range of health professionals' point of views. Understanding the limitations that constrain generalizability of the findings, the study results reflected a part of the gaps existing for application of the HPH strategy in the Iranian hospitals and challenges that might impede its successful conduct.