{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,6]],"date-time":"2026-10-06T18:51:06Z","timestamp":1791312666661,"version":"4.3.1"},"reference-count":55,"publisher":"Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,1]],"date-time":"2026-08-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1785542400000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-nd\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["lww.com","ovid.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":[],"abstract":"\n BACKGROUND:<\/jats:title>\n Ongoing evaluation of educational service quality in medical schools is essential, particularly in settings with limited resources. This study assessed the discrepancy between expected and perceived educational service quality among medical students in the Sistan region of Iran.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n MATERIALS AND METHODS:<\/jats:title>\n \n This cross-sectional analytical study involved 195 medical students enrolled in the revised curriculum at Zabol University of Medical Sciences. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire and the SERVQUAL instrument, which measures the quality of educational services. Statistical analyses included paired\n t<\/jats:italic>\n -tests, independent\n t<\/jats:italic>\n -tests, and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA).\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n RESULTS:<\/jats:title>\n \n Significant negative gaps were found across all dimensions of educational service quality. The smallest discrepancy was identified in the\n tangibles<\/jats:italic>\n domain, while the\n reliability<\/jats:italic>\n domain showed the most significant gap. Non-local students reported greater dissatisfaction in the\n tangibles<\/jats:italic>\n domain. Those planning to pursue postgraduate education expressed significantly larger gaps in both\n reliability<\/jats:italic>\n and\n tangibles<\/jats:italic>\n , as well as in overall service quality. Students in the physiopathology phase reported broader gaps compared to peers in the basic sciences and clinical clerkship stages.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n CONCLUSION:<\/jats:title>\n Educational service quality fell short of student expectations across all assessed domains. Addressing these gaps\u2014especially in under-resourced environments\u2014is vital to aligning educational services with student needs and strengthening their role as key stakeholders in medical training.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.4103\/jehp.jehp_509_25","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,31]],"date-time":"2026-08-31T13:01:38Z","timestamp":1788181298000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1097\/lww.0000000000001000","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Disparities in educational service quality among medical students in Iran\u2019s revised medical curriculum: A cross-sectional study in a resource-limited region"],"prefix":"10.4103","volume":"15","author":[{"given":"Elahe","family":"Haghighat-Manesh","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Basic Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Zabol University of Medical Sciences, Zabol, Iran"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Narjes","family":"Dahmardeh","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine Zabol University of Medical Sciences, Zabol, Iran"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Fardin","family":"Ali Malayeri","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Zabol University of Medical Sciences, Zabol, Iran"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Fatemeh","family":"Khojasteh","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Zabol University of Medical Sciences, Zabol, Iran"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"276","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8]]},"reference":[{"key":"R1-20261006","first-page":"34","article-title":"Integration of medical education and healthcare services from an international perspective","volume":"21","author":"Tabrizchi","year":"2024","journal-title":"Strides Dev Med Educ"},{"key":"R2-20261006","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"291","DOI":"10.4103\/jehp.jehp_80_20","article-title":"Evaluating the responsiveness of higher education system in relation to social determinants of health","volume":"9","author":"Samouei","year":"2020","journal-title":"J Educ Health Promot"},{"key":"R3-20261006","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"159","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1365-2923.1997.tb02559.x","article-title":"The reform of medical education in Iran","volume":"31","author":"Azizi","year":"1997","journal-title":"Med Educ"},{"key":"R4-20261006","first-page":"47","article-title":"A review on pathology of the integration of medical education system with health services at Iran\u2019s Ministry of Health and Medical Education","volume":"8","author":"Gilavand","year":"2018","journal-title":"Future Med Educ J"},{"key":"R5-20261006","first-page":"51","article-title":"The history and evolution of the integration of medical education into the field of healthcare services (healthcare network) of the Islamic Republic of Iran","volume":"21","author":"Marandi","year":"2024","journal-title":"Strides Dev Med Educ"},{"key":"R6-20261006","first-page":"16","article-title":"Challenges and problems of clinical medical education in Iran: A systematic review of the literature","author":"Beigzadeh","year":"2019","journal-title":"Strides Dev Med Educ"},{"key":"R7-20261006","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"460","DOI":"10.4103\/jehp.jehp_1356_24","article-title":"Revision of institutional accreditation standards and processes in Iranian medical universities","volume":"13","author":"Yousefi","year":"2024","journal-title":"J Educ Health Promot"},{"key":"R8-20261006","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"838359","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2022.838359","article-title":"The quality of services of Iran University hospitals based on SERVQUAL\u2019s evaluation model: A systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"10","author":"Gilavand","year":"2022","journal-title":"Front Public Health"},{"key":"R9-20261006","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"24","DOI":"10.1186\/s12909-020-02473-y","article-title":"Faculty retention in regional medical schools in Iran: A qualitative content analysis","volume":"21","author":"Shaterjalali","year":"2021","journal-title":"BMC Med Educ"},{"key":"R10-20261006","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"122","DOI":"10.2478\/geosc-2024-0009","article-title":"Why stay here? 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