New experience of implementing patient e-referral in the Iranian health system: a qualitative study

To improve the e-referral in Iran's health system, several strategies can be implemented. These include sustainable resource allocation, designing consequence mechanisms within the referral system to motivate collaboration and improving appointment scheduling systems. Furthermore, addressing these challenges requires a collaborative approach involving healthcare providers, IT professionals, and patient representatives to ensure that the system is efficient, user-friendly, and effectively meets the needs of all parties involved. Not paying enough attention to these issues cause reform failure while solving them requires multi-dimensional, systematic and coordinated interventions with a deep understanding of the obstacles and challenges. Disregarding these factors may result in apathy over time, ultimately impacting both the quantity and, more importantly, the quality of services.