title: Designing a health equity audit model for Iran in 2010.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Health equity audit, as an alternative solution, is a process by which local partners systematically review inequalities in the patients` health, their access to appropriate services and health system outputs. Then, necessary activities needed in order to have more equitable services are agreed on and these concurrences become the executive scheme and action initiates. Therefore, it is pivotal for health care organizations to pay special attention to this important topic. The objective of the current study was to review the health equity audit model in different countries to gather viewpoints of various involved groups in health sector, particularly health experts, and to offer a practical and appropriate model for health equity audit in Iran.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study adopted applied research approach in two phases. In the first step, this study conducted theoretical health equity audit models in the texts; the experiences of other countries were studied and the most appropriate model for Iranian health system was selected. In the second step, this study employed the Delphi technique. According to the Delphi technique the questionnaire applied in order to gather data and then, the final model was extracted.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Agreeable topics, performing agencies, 6 equity audit stages, and equity indicators under 3 main parts with 16 sub-sections were elaborated and viewpoints of Iranian experts in the above fields were gathered and presented as the proposed health equity audit model for Iran.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study reviewed the model of health equity audit for UK and provided a comparative model for health system of Iran with respect to the opinions of academic experts.
authors.affiliation: Assistant Professor, Department of Health Services Management and Health Management and Economic Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
authors.forename: Saeed
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Karimi
authors.forename: Shirin Alsadat Hadian Zarkesh
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Moghadam
references.citation: J R Soc Med. 2002 Jun;95(6):293-5
references.pmid: 12042377
references.citation: Health Serv Manage Res. 2005 Nov;18(4):223-31
references.pmid: 16259670
references.citation: Community Pract. 2007 May;80(5):38-41
references.pmid: 17536470
references.citation: J Epidemiol Community Health. 2011 Sep;65(9):757-63
references.pmid: 20675704