Journal of Cardio-Thoracic Medicine

Journal of Cardio-Thoracic Medicine

Reported Satisfaction with Health and Medical Services among Mashhad Pilgrims at the End of the Safar Lunar Month

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Maryam Saberi-Karimian 1
Somayeh Ghiasi Hafezi 2
Malihe Aghasizade 3
Shapour Badiee Aval 4
Ali Ebrahimi 5
Masoumeh Akbari 3
Najmeh Seifi 3
Seyed Javad Hoseini 6
Yasamin Rajabloo 3
Saeedeh Hoseinpour 3
Mahboubeh Akbari 3
Tayebeh Mohammadi-Esfidan 3
Naser Vahdati-Mashhadian 7
Mona Nematizadeh 8
Mohammad Sadegh Abedi 3
Marzieh Hasani 3
Mahya Nekoumanesh 8
Mobina Nekouyar 8
Elahe Hasanpour 8
Elmira Adim 8
Habibollah Esmaily 2
Monavar AfzalAghaee 2
Gordon A. Ferns 9
Mohammad Ali Kiani 10
Majid Ghayour-Mobarhan 3
Nayyereh Houshyar 11
1 Metabolic Syndrome Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
2 Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
3 International UNESCO Center for Health-Related Basic Sciences and Human Nutrition, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
4 Department of Complementary and Chinese Medicine, School of Persian and Complementary Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
5 Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
6 Deputy of Health, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
7 Departments of Pharmacodynamics and Toxicology, School of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
8 Department of Nutrition Sciences, Varastegan Institute for Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
9 Brighton & Sussex Medical School, Division of Medical Education, Falmer, Brighton, Sussex BN1 9PH, UK.
10 Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
11 The Education Development Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
10.22038/jctm.2026.92422.1518
Abstract
Introduction: We aimed to evaluate the pilgrims’ satisfaction with the health, medical, and pharmaceutical services in Mashhad at the end of Safar.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in the Safar Lunar Month. Pilgrims were recruited using a convenience sampling method of individuals entering Mashhad city.

Results: A total of 6497 pilgrims participated in the study. Out of those, 409 pilgrims (6.3%) required some medical services. Approximately 175 people (42.7%) rated the quality of access to medical services as average or below average. In terms of emergency services, 93 pilgrims (1.4%) required assistance, with 54.9% (n=42) reporting below average satisfaction with treatment by emergency personnel. Additionally, 1134 individuals (17.7%) expressed that the hygiene of their accommodations was average or below average.

Conclusions: Regarding the low satisfaction of pilgrims with the health and medical services during the peak of travel, it is necessary to improve the healthcare system services to empower pilgrims to access better healthcare.
Keywords
Health Services
Pharmaceutical Services
Pilgrims
Satisfaction
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Journal of Cardio-Thoracic Medicine
Volume 14, Issue 2
Spring 2026
Pages 1698-1708