Analysis the Integration of Medical Education with the Provision of Healthcare Services in Iran with a SWOT Approach

Background: The integration policy was designed and to enhance the bilateral interaction and accountability between the medical education system and the national health system, culminating in the establishment of the Ministry of Health and Medical Education.Objectives: The present research aims to critically examine the integration of medical education into healthcare service delivery using the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) framework.Methods: This qualitative study was conducted in ۲۰۲۳. Participants included ۲۲ health system policymakers and managers in the country with a managerial background in universities of medical sciences in the country’s District ۱. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews through purposive and snowball sampling methods until data saturation was reached. Questions were asked about the experience of integration and the SWOT of the program. Subsequently, the interviews were transcribed, semantic units were determined, and the themes’ coding, categorization, and identification were conducted. Finally, the data were analyzed using content analysis.Results: The analysis of experiences yielded ۱۴ main themes and ۴۲ subthemes. The main themes encompassed “self-sufficiency in health human resources, expansion of educational fields, enhancement of social accountability, growth of educational and health indicators, improvement of the connection between education and services, development of applied research (strengths), weakened interdisciplinary convergence, deviation from the educational and research mission, conflict of interest (weaknesses), support of laws and regulations for integration, expansion of international interactions (opportunities), incomplete understanding of integration, emergence of new educational approaches, political and social pressures (threats).”Conclusion: The integration of the medical education system and the health system is a complex process. This plan has not performed successfully in providing qualified human resources, improving service indicators, and expanding the scope of medical education in the country. It is recommended to select appropriate strategies to maximize the program’s strengths and opportunities and minimize its weaknesses and threats.

کلیدواژه ها:

medical education ، Integration ، Healthcare Service Delivery ، Health system