Assessing the Quality of Primary Health Services and Its Effect on Quality of Life in Recipients: A Case Study in a Rural Health Center

Background & objectives: Primary health services are inseparable part of health care system in each country and the assessment of quality of life is fundamental in the evaluation of healthcare system’s quality. The aim of this study was to assess the quality of primary healthcare services and its effect on quality of life in the recipients of these services in a health center and its subsection offices. Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive and analytical study was conducted on 219 recipients of health services in a health center and its six subsection offices in 2016.  Data collection tools were SF-36 questionnaire of life quality and a researcher-made questionnaire based on principles and components of primary healthcare. Data were analyzed using Spearman correlation coefficient, Krus-Kal Wallis and Mann Whitney tests in SPSS-20 software. Results: The mean and standard deviation of the primary healthcare service was 42.66±16.25. 58% of participants reported the good quality of primary healthcare services, 32% reported it as medium, and 10% as low. There were significant relationships between the quality of primary healthcare services with some subcomponents of SF-36 questionnaire including Pain (r= -0.208, p=0.002), global health (r= 0.423, p<0.001), and physical health (r= -0.301, p<0.001). Conclusion: The quality of primary healthcare services was higher than average and correlated with the quality of life in the recipients. With the correct assessment of the quality of life, it is possible to assess the quality of primary health services, however using objective methods alongside the questionnaires is necessary to have a more precious study.