Developing management capacity building package to district health manager in northwest of Iran: A sequential mixed method study.
To assess districts health managers educational needs and develop management training programmes.



This mixed-method study was carried out between August 2014 and August 2015 in Tabriz, Iran. Four focus group discussion sessions and three semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted among district health managers and experts of a health centre. Besides, 52 questionnaires were completed to weigh and finalise management education module and courses. Interviews and focus group discussions were tape-recorded, transcribed and analysed using content analysis method. Data was analysed using SPSS17.



There were 52 participants, of whom 40(78.8%) were men and 12(21.2%) were women. All of the subjects (100%) took part in the quantitative phase, while 25(48.08%) participated in the qualitative phase. In the qualitative section, 11(44%) participants were heads of unit/departments in provincial health centre and 14(56%) were district health managers. In the quantitative phase, 30(57.7%) participants were district health managers and 8(28.8%) were heads of units/departments. Moreover, 33(63.4%) participants had medical education. The job experience of 3(5.8%) participants in the current position was below five years. Districts health management training programme consisted of 10modules with 53 educational topics. The normalised score out of a total of 100 for rules and ethics was 75.51, health information management 71.19, management and leadership 69.27, district management 68.08, human resources and organisational creativity 67.58,quality improvement 66.6, health resources management 62.37, planning and evaluation 61.87, research in health system 59.15, and community participation was 53.15.



Considering district health managers' qualification in health and medicine, they had not been trained in basic management. Almost all the management and leadership courses were prioritised as most necessary.
Health Services Management, Tabriz Health Services Management Research Center, Department of Health Services Management, Faculty of Management and Medical Informatics, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
Jafar Sadegh
JS
Tabrizi
PhD Candidate in Health Services Management, Department of Health Services Management, Faculty of Management and Medical Informatics, Student Research Committee, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
Kamal
K
Gholipour
Psychiatrist, Research Center of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences, Razi Hospital, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
Mostafa
M
Farahbakhsh
MD, East Azerbaijan Provincial Health Centre, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
Hasan
H
Jahanbin
MD, East Azerbaijan Provincial Health Centre, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
Majid
M
Karamuz
D057191:Capacity Building; D019058:Community Networks; D003256:Community Participation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran; D007857:Leadership; D008297:Male; D010559:Personnel Management
District health manager, Educational need assessment, Management training, Sequential mixed method, Health system. 