Journal of Modern Medical

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Ebrahimi K, Mahdavi A, Donyaei Z. Survey the titles of dissertation in the field of Health Information Technology. JMIS 2024; 10 (3) :325-338
URL: http://jmis.hums.ac.ir/article-1-551-en.html

Introduction: Health information technology is one of the foundations of transformation and improvement of the quality of educational, research and treatment services in the field of health. The needs of the society, the country’s programs and developments in the field of health technology can be manifested first in researches and especially theses in this field. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to survey the titles of dissertations in the field of health information technology in Iran.
Methods: This study employed a content analysis methodology to investigate research trends in Health Information Technology (HIT) in Iran. The data comprised 447 master’s dissertations in the field of HIT, collected from nine prominent medical universities: Tehran, Shahid Beheshti, Isfahan, Kashan, Shiraz, Tabriz, Urmia, Mashhad, and Kerman. These dissertations were completed up until the end of the Iranian calendar year 1402. Data analysis was conducted using the MAXQDA 22 qualitative data analysis software.
Results: The analysis of 447 master’s dissertations in Health Information Technology (HIT) from nine prominent Iranian medical universities revealed ten primary research themes: Mobile Health, Information Systems Evaluation, Conceptual Model Design, Information System Implementation, Information Systems Applications, Hospital Statistics, Management Topics, Telemedicine, Data Mining Techniques, and other sub-topics. “Mobile Health” emerged as the most researched area with 93 dissertations, followed by “Conceptual Model Design” with 91 dissertations, and “Information Systems Evaluation” with 88 dissertations. A temporal analysis of research trends across three periods (2011-2014, 2015-2018, and 2019-2023) demonstrated a shift in research focus. “Mobile Health” emerged as a dominant theme in the most recent period (2019-2023), while “Conceptual Model Design” was most prevalent in the middle period (2015-2018), and “Information Systems Evaluation” was the most prominent research area in the initial period (2011-2014).
Discussion: A thematic study of the titles of health information technology dissertations in Iran shows that thematic dispersion and the lack of a specific pattern in this field are evident. The need to develop a strategic plan and present research priorities based on the country’s needs in the field of health information technology can help eliminate parallel work and improve the impact of the country’s dissertation results.