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.