Client and Health Workers Perceptions on Family Planning Services

Background: In order to achieve maximum client satisfaction, family planning must incorporate the client's views and perception; this in turn depends heavily on the cultural and religious context. This qualitative study was performed with the aim of assessing the need for family planning services in various client groups. Methods: Focus Group Discussions (FGD) were conducted with four different categories of clients attending primary health care centers in Southern Tehran, Iran. The study also involved group interviews with Liaison Health Workers. Results: Clients generally complained of problems such as the crowding of people inside health centers, inconvenient working hours, disrespectful staff members, poor client education, counseling, and contraceptive complications. Most clients expressed the need for higher education and quality services. Liaison workers listed their main problems as inadequate staffing, limited attendance time, client overload, the community's negative attitude towards state-run health facilities, and common misperceptions regarding various contraceptive modalities. Conclusion: Suggestions for improving quality of services included identification of common goals for staff and clients, providing adequate consultation courses for client and staff members, improving the general atmosphere of the clinic, reducing waiting time, and improving clinic access.