Exploring the Position of Community-Based Nursing in Iran: A Qualitative Study

BACKGROUND Community-based nursing focuses on providing health services to families and communities in the second and third levels of prevention and this can improve the individuals, families and communities' quality of life, and reduce the healthcare costs. The aim of this study was to explore the status of community-based nursing in Iran. METHODS This qualitative study was conducted from March to November 2015, in Tehran, Iran, using the content analysis approach. The study setting consisted of Iran and Tehran Faculties of Nursing and Midwifery, Tehran, Iran. The purposive sampling method was used. Twenty faculty members and Master's and PhD students were interviewed by using the face-to-face semi-structured interview method. Moreover, two focus groups were conducted for complementing and enriching the study data. The data were analyzed using the Graneheim and Lundman's approach to content analysis. The trustworthiness of the study findings was maintained by employing the Lincoln and Guba's criteria of credibility, dependability, and confirmability. RESULTS In total, 580 codes were generated and categorized into three main categories of conventional services, the necessity for creating infrastructures, and multidimensional outcomes of community-based nursing. CONCLUSION Introducing community-based nursing into nursing education curricula and creating ample job opportunities for community-based nurses seem clearly essential.