Status of Service Provision Centers for Patients with Sexually Transmitted infections in Tehran, Kerman, Babol and Shiraz as Representatives of Iran’s Capital Cities in 2013

Background: Centers for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) play an important role in identifying, treating and preventing infections. Paying attention to equipment and human resources of these centers can increase the effectiveness of these activities. The purpose of this study was to investigate the status of these centers in order to plan and improve the quality of services. Materials and Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study enrolled was carried out on 247 physician and midwifery offices and 141 service providers of sexually transmitted infections in Kerman, Shiraz, Tehran and Babol‏. These centers participated in the research by completing the checklist. The data were analyzed in Stata 11 software using descriptive statistics (frequency, frequency percentage and frequency tables). Results: The findings showed that about 66% of offices and 97% of institutions accepted health insurance, 93% of offices and 89% of institutions had access to a laboratory to refer patients, and 13% of offices and 67% of institutions had a monthly report of STIs. About one-third of physicians and midwives and more than two-thirds of institution officials were aware of the Ministry of Health's guidelines on STIs. Almost half of the physicians, midwives and institutions mentioned the lack of feedback from the healthcare system as the most important reason for not participating in reporting STIs.  Conclusion: The following criteria should be addressed in order to improve the quality of services provided in centers for patients with STIs: continued presence of physician and midwife, easy access to laboratory and pharmacy, and admission of insured individuals.