Compassionate behaviours of clinical nurses in Iran: an ethnographic study

Aim: The aim of this research was to explore compassionate behaviour in Iranian nurses.

Background: Nurses provide high-quality care with compassion. It is useful to improve relationships between nurses and patients to give them more confidence in the care process. It is important to consider how compassion is demonstrated by nurses and to explore different compassionate behaviours in different cultures.

Methods: This ethnographic study was conducted with 20 nurses and 12 patients in six medical and four surgical wards in Iran in 2014-2015. Data were collected through fieldwork observations and semi-structured deep interviews and field notes. We analysed data using constant comparison based on Strauss and Corbin method.

Results: Results of the present study showed four cultural themes; love expression and compassion in the form of non-verbal emotional behaviours, empathy with others, emotional supports of patients at bedside and non-caring behaviours.

Conclusion: The findings of this study described compassionate behaviours in nurses. Compassionate behaviours of nurses are closely related to the culture issues. These are formed by communication between nurses and patients, and nurses and patients' families during nursing care. Thus improving compassionate behaviours is highly significant in nursing.

Implications for nursing and/health policy: Nurses, instructors and policy-makers can use the results of this study. They should consider compassionate care as an important component of patient-centred care. Compassion should be considered in nursing and practical educational programmes. To develop the compassionate care, it is vital to make changes in the dominant philosophy and culture of caring environments. Nurses should receive appropriate training with focus on holistic and patient-centred approaches.