Improvement in the nursing care quality in general surgery wards: Iranian nurses' perceptions

Improving care quality is one of the duties of almost all health service providers. Although it is of much significance to identify the factors influencing nursing care quality in specific clinical settings, a few studies have been conducted to improve our knowledge in this regard. This study aimed to determine Iranian nurses' perceptions of the factors influencing quality of nursing care in general surgery wards. A qualitative approach was adopted using content analysis of semi-structured interviews carried out with 15 nurses working in general surgery wards of two educational hospitals. The following themes and subthemes emerged from the analysis: 'beyond daily routine tasks', 'cooperation and the promotion of effective relationship' and 'updating education'. The second theme consisted of two subthemes: 'relationship among care team members' and 'communication between nurses, patients and relatives'. Providing qualified nursing care in Iran is complicated contextually and is somehow controversial. The study participants believed that in this context, proper delivery of appropriate nursing care is difficult for nurses owing to the barriers mentioned. Therefore, as a primitive action health care policy makers and managers are required to bring sensible changes into health care system through legislating suitable rules to guarantee the quality of nursing cares.