Identifying Economic Resistance Components in COVID-19 Pandemic: The Case of Iranian Health System

Background: As economic resistance is largely defined as the capacity of an economy to improve or adapt to the effects of unexpected, exterior shocks such as COVID-19 pandemic for health systems, the purpose of this study was to identify the economic resistance components of the Iranian health system during COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This qualitative study was conducted using the content analysis method from 2020 to 2021. The statistical population of the study consisted of health system experts who are familiar with the subject of resistance economy. Using the snowball sampling method, semi-structured interviews with 30 selected participants were done. The reliability and transparency were determined by Guba and Linkon criteria such as credibility, transferability, confirmability, and consistency, or dependability. Data were analyzed using the Clarke and Braun thematic six-step method. Results: It was found that economic growth, economic stability, justice, and economic resilience, as four main components, affected the economic resistance of the health system in COVID-19 pandemic. Each of these components encompasses a number of sub-components that can help reinforce the health system in two restorative and resilient categories. Conclusions: To the best of our knowledge, a comprehensive study with an exploratory approach was not retrieved to find the main determinants of economic resistance components in COVID-19 pandemic. The present study can greatly contribute to the available knowledge to guide the policymakers for better understanding of the system during unexpected situations and applying the most applied solutions as well. It may help the health systems particularly those who encounter unpleasant macro-trends and unplanned crises, to keep their preparedness and readiness and improve their resilience.