quality of nursing care: nurses’, physicians’, patients’ and patients family’s perspectives: a qualitative study

quality of nursing care: nurses’, physicians’, patients’ and patients family’s perspectives: a qualitative study zagheri tafreshi m[1], atashzadeh shorideh f[2]*, pazargadi m[3], barbaz ah[4] received: 20 may, 2012 accepted: 31 jul , 2012abstract background & aims:  quality in health care has varied aspects, definitions and interpretations. according to many differences in definition of nursing care quality in various cultures, this study was done to explore the meaning of nursing care quality from the stakeholders’ point of view.   materials & methods: a hermeneutic phenomenology approach was used to conduct this study in order to depict the lived experiences of nurses, doctors, patients and their relatives about nursing care quality. data were collected through individual deep interviews, focus group and observasions, and analysis using dikelmann’s method. result:  in this study, six doctors, ten nurses, twenty-two patients were interviewed individually, and 20 patients’ relatives were interviewed by focus group. 2312 initial codes were extracted at first stage of analyzing data. then in ongoing process of analyzing, comparing and reductions, finally, 22 subthemes were extracted and five themes emerged. the concept of quality nursing care from the perspective of doctors, nurses, patients and their relatives' was difined as “meet the needs of patients with intentioality, emotional - psychological relationships, support, respect, responsibility and accountability”.conclusion:nursing managers must identify strategies to support and provide better nursing care, which reflect purposeful care, nursing responsibility, promotive psychological-affective relationships, patient respect and support for all clients. findings may also be used by nurse educators to modify the nursing education curricula based on caring models within these meanings of quality of nursing care.key words: quality of nursing care, hermeneutic phenomenology, nurse, doctor, patient, patient’s relatives address: tehran, vali asr street, niayesh cross, martyr beheshti nursing and midwifery, department of pediatrics tel: (+98)9125000169email: [email protected] [1] phd in nursing, assistant professor.nursing and midwifery school, shahid beheshti university of medical sciences, tehran, iran.[2] phd nursing candidate, department of nursing management, nursing and midwifery school, shahid beheshti university of medical sciences, tehran, iran. (corresponding author)[3] phd in educational management, associate professor.nursing and midwifery school, shahid beheshti university of medical sciences, tehran, iran.  [4] msc in nursing management, faculty member of nursing and midwifery school, shahid beheshti university of medical sciences, tehran, iran.