job classification in health research in iran: a case of a developing country

Background & aim: due to lack of a unique and acceptable classification scheme for occupation in iran, the role of this measure has been ignored in many health researches. we aimed to find a suitable classification . methods & materials: in-depth interviews with expert health professionals were done through purposeful sampling. they expressed their opinions on five commonly used occupational based socio-economic measures in the world to develop a consensus draft for iranian occupational classification. the main themes were identified by content analysis. results: the experts agreed that the national statistics socio-economic classification was the most compatible job classification for iran’s health researches. some of the problems in occupation assessment in health research were also clarified through interviews. conclusion: job classification would better consist of more than one job dimension; the economic parameters are not stable and accurately measurable, so more social aspects of occupation such as the authority and control over workforce should be considered.