Analysis of the Policy of Integrating Medical Education into the Service Delivery System from the Perspective of External Stakeholders

Background: Following the shortage of medical staff and lack of facilities, the integration policy was implemented in 1984 in Iran, and the Ministry of Health, Treatment, and Medical Education was formed. This policy, like any other policy, has many strengths and weaknesses in the medical and non-medical fields. However, despite the significance, scope, and depth of this policy, a limited number of studies have addressed the policy, and most of the studies in this field have investigated and reported the consequences of the implementation of the integration policy and the extent to which its goals have been realized in Iran. Thus, to fill this research gap, the present study aimed to analyze the perspective of external stakeholders, mainly officials and non-medical faculty members, about the policy of integrating medical education into the service delivery system. Methods: In this qualitative study, 9 experts from non-medical universities were interviewed. Overall, after interviewing 6 faculty members, the collected data reached the saturation point and no new information was obtained. However, three more interviews were conducted to ensure the credibility of the data. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews via two group video conference sessions and several individual sessions using telephone calls. Each group interview lasted 120 to 150 minutes and each interview lasted 20 to 30 minutes. The interviews were recorded and transcribed word by word for analysis. Results: The analysis of the collected data revealed four subcategories including (1) fragmentation of higher education, (2) wastage of resources, (3) ineffective execution of national higher education policies in the healthcare sector, and (4) disruption of the convergence of sciences. Each subcategory consisted of several primary codes. Conclusion: The findings highlighted the need to analyze external stakeholders’ attitudes toward the policy of integrating medical education and explore its advantages and disadvantages at a macro level. The data also revealed significant damages made to science and technology and the need for a well-defined roadmap to preserve policy achievements and minimize the significant damages incurred due to the disintegration of medical education from other disciplines.