Reasons of unmet needs of family planning from the perspective of health personnel

Introduction: In order to achieve acceptable health indices and the general welfare, family planning is necessary in any society. The aim of this study was to identify the perspectives of health care providers about the unmet needs of family planning in health centers of Tehran and Shahroud in 2011. Method: The present study was a qualitative research including 27 of the staff and administrators of health centers recruited with purposive sampling. Data gathering was conducted by holding several individual discussions with staff from different centers of Shahroud and Tehran with different social, cultural, and economic status. Then all of the recorded speeches were written on paper and the main themes and sub-themes were extracted. Results: Themes extracted from the statements of the participants were organizational factors (such as integration of family health services with midwifery services, and lack of privacy), occupational pressure, and the excessive paperwork of the midwifery unit, which had reduced the quality of family planning services. Moreover, other obstacles cited included the participation of men, time limitations, misconceptions, and health center supervisors acting according to personal preferences. Conclusion: Overlooking social, cultural, and organizational issues may reduce the quality of family planning services. Keywords: Family planning, Tehran, Shahrou