Assessment the Structure of Comprehensive Health Service Centers for Providing Preconception Care

Introduction: Structure refers to the characteristics of healthcare delivery settings and pertains to the features of health systems that affect the ability of the system to meet the health needs of individuals or the community. This study was aimed to assessment the Structure of Comprehensive Health Service Centers for Providing Preconception Care. Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in ۲۰۲۲. The sampling places were all urban comprehensive health service centers in Shahroud. The instrument was a checklist that assessed the structure of the centers across seven sections: physical infrastructure of the health center, equipment in the waiting area, equipment in the midwifery unit, healthcare personnel, access to services, the presence of standard educational guidelines and protocols, and the presence of standard time recording mechanisms for delivering reproductive health care. After data collection, it was analyzed using SPSS software. Results: The results showed that pre-pregnancy care was provided only to women of childbearing age. Access to all pre-pregnancy services was not available in all centers, and not all centers provided information in this regard. The provision of psychological services, vaccinations, and supplements was free, and other pre-pregnancy services required payment. Also, a standard care time recording mechanism did not exist in some centers. Conclusion: This study revealed that the provision of pre-pregnancy care in Shahroud has shortcomings and requires structural improvements in the areas of access to services, information dissemination, and efforts to increase insurance coverage for pre-pregnancy services.

کلیدواژه ها:

Structure ، Preconception Care ، Comprehensive Health Service Centers