Consumer Instigated Unnecessary Medicalization in Iran: A Qualitative Thematic Analysis of the Health Professionals' Conjectures

Abstract

Background: Medicalization of the natural lifelong socio-biological phenomena is one of the epitomes of challenges in front of modern societies. Empirical research findings have reveled that demand for some of the health care services is expanding, especially after commencement of the Health Transformation Plan (HTP) in Iran. Given the evidence about the precedents and probable streamline role of the sovereign market and consumers' demands on the country's surging medicalization trend, this study was aimed at exploring the healthcare professionals' (HCPs) prospects about the demand side portrayal of the phenomenon. Methods: Purposive and snowball sampling method were used to recruit a total of 31 key national informants to participate in 14 semi-structured interviews and 3 focus group discussions that were planned to acquire data and insights that were not accomplished during the interview sessions. The data were collected, transcribed, and analyzed from March 2016 to February 2017 using content analysis (inductive and deductive) approach to identify certain concepts and explore the underlying facts behind the discourses. The transcribed texts were indexed and codes were extracted and categorized into subthemes and themes. MAXQDA 12 software was used for better organizing and managing the data. Results: Data were organized in 4 categories and 10 subcategories. Factors relating to national/provincial health policies and plans, healthcare consumers, the public expectations about health care professionals' affluence, and community context were considered as key sets of factors to infuriate unnecessary medicalization in Iran with the HTP having considerable role as a suitable platform to boost the incongruous phenomenon. Conclusions: The socio-cultural context and health policy making mechanisms could have a significant role in over utilization of health services and unrestrained medicalization in Iran. The dilemma should be regarded as a multidimensional embarrassment and until a multifaceted approach was not applied for its control, no major success could be expectable.