the investigation of the managers’s need to learn management skills and principles in health care networks in esfahan province in 1380

introduction: management is a specialized science and most of the health managers are not familiar with scientific management methods and direct their organization on the basis of their own experiences and assumptions, it is necessary to devise comprehensive educational programs according to the results of needs assessment in order to promote the quality of health care services. materials and methods: the health network managers, deputy managers, health care assistants, the managers of rural and urban care centers of nineteen health networks in isfahan province were selected. to evaluate their educational needs, the researcher asked them to fill in questionnaire. results: the majority of the managers (54%) were between 25 to 35 years old. most of them (34.7%) had between five to nine years of service and 59% worked as manages between one to four years. 52% did not receive any training and 30% had participated in training courses. they mostly required executive (48.5%) and planning (46%) skills. there was a meaningful relationship between years of management services and all aspects of management skills. discussion: since the years of management services are related to all management skills, the level of experience can influence the individual’s skills. the years of service affect the executive skills and participation in training courses affect the planning quality.