Designing a health equity audit model for Iran in 2010

BACKGROUND: Health equity audit, as an alternative solution, is a process by which local partners systematically review inequalities in the patients` health, their access to appropriate services and health system outputs. Then, necessary activities needed in order to have more equitable services are agreed on and these concurrences become the executive scheme and action initiates. Therefore, it is pivotal for health care organizations to pay special attention to this important topic. The objective of the current study was to review the health equity audit model in different countries to gather viewpoints of various involved groups in health sector, particularly health experts, and to offer a practical and appropriate model for health equity audit in Iran. METHODS: This study adopted applied research approach in two phases. In the first step, this study conducted theoretical health equity audit models in the texts; the experiences of other countries were studied and the most appropriate model for Iranian health system was selected. In the second step, this study employed the Delphi technique. According to the Delphi technique the questionnaire applied in order to gather data and then, the final model was extracted. RESULTS: Agreeable topics, performing agencies, 6 equity audit stages, and equity indicators under 3 main parts with 16 sub-sections were elaborated and viewpoints of Iranian experts in the above fields were gathered and presented as the proposed health equity audit model for Iran. CONCLUSIONS: This study reviewed the model of health equity audit for UK and provided a comparative model for health system of Iran with respect to the opinions of academic experts.