Developing an Evaluation Model for Maternity Care: A Mixed-Method Study from Iran

BACKGROUND: Maternity care is an integral part of primary health care (PHC) systems worldwide. This study aimed to develop a new model for evaluating the maternity health program (MHP) in Iran. METHODS: In this mixed-methods study, first, the challenges of MHP were surveyed through systematic review and expert interviews. Next, to identify the existing shortcomings in MHP evaluation system, the SWOT technique, cross-sectional study and comparative analyses were used. Finally, the Delphi technique was used to reach consensus on developed evaluation standards. RESULTS: The final developed evaluation model contains five dimensions including reproductive health/family planning, maternity health, health records, evaluation, and resources management. Overall, this model has 32 standards and 289 measures. The scores obtained for the sum of the measures in two importance and applicability criteria were 8.24 and 7.85, which these scores are estimated to be equal to 91.55 and 87.22 percent of the highest possible scores, respectively. CONCLUSION: Considering the comprehensiveness of the obtained model, it is hoped that it could lead to performance improvement of the PHC centers in the area of maternity health.