Health Management & Information Science

Health Management & Information Science

Evaluation of the urban family physician plan in Iran using the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) model

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Zahra Zare
Lili Ferdosipour
Yousef Ahmadi
Department of Management, Si.C., Islamic Azad University, Sirjan, Iran
10.30476/jhmi.2026.108221.1307
Abstract
Introduction: The Urban Family Physician plan was established based on primary health care in two provinces of Fars and Mazandaran (Iran). There is insufficient information on the program's effectiveness. This study aims to evaluate the performance of the urban family physician plan using the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) model.
Methods: In a cross-sectional study, physicians and health service providers (n=233) and their clients (n=199) of urban family physicians were selected through multi-stage sampling from Shiraz, Iran. The data were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire based on the EFQM model.  Its content and face validity were confirmed by expert panels, and its reliability was assessed using Cronbach's alpha. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics, one-sample tests, and MANOVA in SPSS version 25. In all tests, a two-sided significance level of 5% was considered.
Results: No statistically significant difference was observed between physicians and health service providers, except for the staff dimension (p=0.023). On the other hand, the dimensions related to service recipients between women and men were tested using multivariate analysis of variance. Based on these results, no statistically significant difference was observed between women and men (P>0.05).
Conclusion: Based on the evaluation, the scheme's overall performance in key dimensions, especially in staff and leadership, falls short of expected standards. These results indicate a pressing need to improve human resource management, upgrade skills, and motivate staff.

Highlights

Zahra Zare: Google Scholar

Lili Ferdosipour: Google Scholar

Keywords
Urban family physician
Health care reform
Iran
Subjects
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Health Management & Information Science
Volume 13, Issue 2
Spring 2026
Pages 87-97