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Nurses' perspectives on quality of nursing care: a qualitative study in Iran

Mansoureh Z. Tafreshi (Shaheed Beheshti Medical Sciences University, Tehran, Iran)
Mehrnoosh Pazargadi (Shaheed Beheshti Medical Sciences University, Tehran, Iran)
Zhila Abed Saeedi (Shaheed Beheshti Medical Sciences University, Tehran, Iran)

International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance

ISSN: 0952-6862

Article publication date: 19 June 2007

2875

Abstract

Purpose

Quality of health care is the degree of the most optimal degree of health outcomes by delivery of effective, efficient and cost‐benefit professional health services to people and communities. As nurses are the largest groups among health care professionals and are legally liable and morally responsible for their care, thus their perspective on quality of nursing care is important. The purpose of this qualitative study is “to define and describe quality from the perspective of nursing experts and clinical nurses”.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper data were collected in two phases (ten individual interviews and five focus group discussions). A total of 44 clinical nurses and ten nursing experts participated through a purposeful sampling frame. Data analysis was conducted by latent content analysis to achieve a definition of nursing care quality.

Findings

The findings in this paper show that, according to similarities and differences between nursing experts' and clinical nurses' perspectives on quality, the final definition is “delivery of safety care based on nursing standards which eventuates in patient satisfaction”. Findings reveal that in nurses' perspectives on quality definition two important aspects have been mostly considered: “standard of care” and “patient satisfaction”. Moreover, both participant groups have emphasized the benefits of collaborative work in health care (teamwork). Further in this study, organizational and socio‐cultural roles in delivering quality nursing care have been mentioned such as staffing, budget, leadership, and social perspectives about nursing as a highly educated profession.

Originality/value

The paper offers an overview of nurses' perspectives of quality of nursing care in Iran.

Keywords

Citation

Tafreshi, M.Z., Pazargadi, M. and Abed Saeedi, Z. (2007), "Nurses' perspectives on quality of nursing care: a qualitative study in Iran", International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, Vol. 20 No. 4, pp. 320-328. https://doi.org/10.1108/09526860710754389

Publisher

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Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2007, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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