<?xml version="1.0"?>
<Articles JournalTitle="Iranian Journal of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology">
  <Article>
    <Journal>
      <PublisherName>Tehran University of Medical Sciences</PublisherName>
      <JournalTitle>Iranian Journal of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology</JournalTitle>
      <Issn>1735-1502</Issn>
      <Volume>0</Volume>
      <Issue>0</Issue>
      <PubDate PubStatus="epublish">
        <Year>2026</Year>
        <Month>02</Month>
        <Day>06</Day>
      </PubDate>
    </Journal>
    <title locale="en_US">Integration of Asthma Care into Primary Health Facilities of Iran: Findings from the Pilot Project</title>
    <FirstPage>1</FirstPage>
    <LastPage>6</LastPage>
    <AuthorList>
      <Author>
        <FirstName>Kambiz</FirstName>
        <LastName>Abachizadeh</LastName>
        <affiliation locale="en_US">Department of Community Medicine, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University  of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran AND Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran</affiliation>
      </Author>
      <Author>
        <FirstName>Mehdi</FirstName>
        <LastName>Najmi</LastName>
        <affiliation locale="en_US">Health Deputy of Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Tehran, Iran</affiliation>
      </Author>
      <Author>
        <FirstName>Koorosh</FirstName>
        <LastName>Etemad</LastName>
        <affiliation locale="en_US">Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health and Safety and Environmental and Occupational  Hazards Control Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran</affiliation>
      </Author>
    </AuthorList>
    <History>
      <PubDate PubStatus="received">
        <Year>2025</Year>
        <Month>05</Month>
        <Day>14</Day>
      </PubDate>
      <PubDate PubStatus="accepted">
        <Year>2025</Year>
        <Month>09</Month>
        <Day>12</Day>
      </PubDate>
    </History>
    <abstract locale="en_US">Iran has an extensive governmental network of primary health care facilities and hospitals. In 2019, the integration of asthma-related services into this network was designed and pilot-tested. Primary health care providers (PHCPs) and family physicians (FPs) are the main members of the care provision team and are responsible for case identification and management.
The pilot was conducted from November 2019 through April 2020 in seven areas-Kerman, Maragheh, Ahvaz, Kashan, Urmia, Karun, and Qazvin-covering both urban and rural locations and a population of approximately one million people. Our objective was to report indicators related to the integration of asthma identification, referral, and management within the existing primary health care system.
In total, 350,894 individuals were screened for asthma by PHCPs. The observed proportion of positive (probable) cases among those screened was 2.48%. Key process indicators included screening uptake (34%), attendance of referred cases at physician visits (83%), and follow-up adherence (49% of confirmed cases).
We conclude that improving screening uptake and the accuracy of asthma case detection by PHCPs are the most effective strategies for enhancing care provision efficiency. The findings of the pilot project have significant implications for understanding efficient integration of asthma-related services. The results indicate that integrating asthma care into primary health services is feasible and can improve early detection and care coordination, informing policy decisions for broader implementation and resource planning.</abstract>
    <web_url>https://ijaai.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijaai/article/view/4444</web_url>
    <pdf_url>https://ijaai.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijaai/article/download/4444/2296</pdf_url>
  </Article>
</Articles>
