The quality of family planning services in health care centers of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences: comparison of clients, providers and program managers viewpoints

Background and aim: Family planning services are frequently used and important services for women of reproductive age. These services are crucial in enabling women to meet their fertility goals. The aim of this study was to determine and compare of the quality of family planning services in urban health centers from the viewpoint of clients, employees, experts and staff managers at different levels. Materials and methods : In a cross-sectional study, 500 women who seeking care from health care center under the supervision of the Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences regarding family planning services, 147 health providers, and 18 family health managers at different levels of district, provincial and national were investigated using revised SERVQUAL questionnaire. Results : The results revealed negative gap in all dimensions of service quality. There was an overall negativegap score of -0.37 between clients expectations and perceptions of service quality (p<0.001). For the health care providers, experts and staff managers, this gap was equal to -0.50 (p<0.001). On the other words the heath care providers and program managers estimated the clients expectation more than actually were and ability of health system to address to these expectations less than clients perceptions of quality. Conclusion : Negative gap between clients expected and perceived service quality should be considered seriously for planning and implementation of proper interventions for service quality improvement. Key words : Service Quality, Family Planning, Health Care Center, SERVQUAL