Satisfaction levels with family physician services: a pilot national health programme in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Family physicians in the Islamic Republic of Iran have been providing health and medical services to residents from rural areas since 2005, and from 2011 these services have been delivered to urban residents in Fars and Mazandaran provinces. This study was conducted in 2014 to measure the rate of user satisfaction with services provided by family physicians to the rural and urban population of the second most populated county in Fars province (Marvdasht county, population > 330 000). In urban and rural areas, 1650 houses (825 in rural and 825 in urban areas) were selected, of which 1561 houses were inhabited (2908 individuals in urban and 3062 individuals in rural areas) and an interview-administered doorstep questionnaire was completed. Overall satisfaction rate was 59.2%: 54.5% for urban areas and 63.2% for rural areas. This study suggests that satisfaction is higher among rural residents and that better quality services from family physicians are needed in both rural and urban communities.