title: Effectiveness of the Health Complex Model in Iranian primary health care reform: the study protocol.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Iranian traditional primary health care (PHC) system, although proven to be successful in some areas in rural populations, suffers major pitfalls in providing PHC services in urban areas especially the slum urban areas. The new government of Iran announced a health reform movement including the health reform in PHC system of Iran. The Health Complex Model (HCM) was chosen as the preferred health reform model for this purpose.
  
  
  METHODS
  This paper aims to report a detailed research protocol for the assessment of the effectiveness of the HCM in Iran. An adaptive controlled design is being used in this research. The study is planned to measure multiple endpoints at the baseline and 2 years after the intervention. The assessments will be done both in a population covered by the HCM, as intervention area, and in control populations covered by the traditional health care system as the control area.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Assessing the effectiveness of the HCM, as the Iranian PHC reform initiative, could help health system policy makers for future decisions on its continuation or modification.
authors: Tabriz Health Services Management Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
authors: Jafar Sadegh
authors: JS
authors: Tabrizi
authors: Research Center of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
authors: Mostafa
authors: M
authors: Farahbakhsh
authors: Road Traffic Injury Research Center, Department of Statistics & Epidemiology, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; WHO Collaborating Center on Community Safety Promotion, Department of Public Health Sciences, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors: Homayoun
authors: H
authors: Sadeghi-Bazargani
authors: Department of Health Services Management, Iranian Center of Excellence in Health Management, School of Management and Medical Informatics.
authors: Roya
authors: R
authors: Hassanzadeh
authors: National Public Health Management Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz.
authors: Akram
authors: A
authors: Zakeri
authors: Department of Statistics and Epidemiology, Faculty of Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
authors: Leili
authors: L
authors: Abedi
keywords: Iran; capitation; health complex model; health network; health reform; primary health care; public private partnership