Abstract
Background and objectives: Having fair access to medical services may probably be a standard feature and indisputable right of all health policies. The health policy of Iran enunciates this right. Unfortunately, as may happen in many countries, the execution of this policy depends on different factors. Among these parameters, the suitable distribution of professionals, hospitals, and medical facilities should be quoted. On the other hand, in Iran, there are many other problems linked to accessing areas with natural hindrances. Materials and methods: A literature search was conducted in PubMed and CINAHL libraries, specifically studies from 2010 to 2019. A Boolean operated medical subject headings (MeSH) term was used for the search. Newcastle–Ottawa Scale (NOS) scoring was adopted to assess the quality of each study. Results: A total of 118 studies were displayed, and among them, 102 were excluded due to duplication and study relevance. Study selection was made based on content classified into two groups: (1) shortage and unsuitable distribution of specialist and subspecialist physicians in Iran and (2) studies that explained the status of degradation in different areas of Iran. Outcomes demonstrated that Iran is generally suffering a shortage and unsuitable distribution of specialists and subspecialists. This lack is particularly crucial in deprived and areas far away from the cities. Conclusions: The present study analyzed in detail research studies regarding policies and challenges that reflect on the provision of specialists and subspecialists in Iranian rural areas.
Highlights
The issue of justice in the distribution of the specialist medical workforce is at the center of attention in most countries
In a study that was performed in order to describe a method of supplying and distributing active clinical physicians in the USA in 2005 by focusing on rural areas, an unbalanced distribution of physicians between cities and villages and a diverse distribution of physicians in rural areas were observed, and the total ratio of specialist/population in rural areas was small [3]
We considered studies related to policies and challenges in the distribution of medical experts, mainly in the rural areas of Iran
Summary
The issue of justice in the distribution of the specialist medical workforce is at the center of attention in most countries. As may happen in many countries, the execution of this policy depends on different factors. Among these parameters, the suitable distribution of professionals, hospitals, and medical facilities should be quoted. Study selection was made based on content classified into two groups: (1) shortage and unsuitable distribution of specialist and subspecialist physicians in Iran and (2) studies that explained the status of degradation in different areas of Iran. Outcomes demonstrated that Iran is generally suffering a shortage and unsuitable distribution of specialists and subspecialists. This lack is crucial in deprived and areas far away from the cities. Conclusions: The present study analyzed in detail research studies regarding policies and challenges that reflect on the provision of specialists and subspecialists in Iranian rural areas
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