limping along in implementing patientcentered care: qualitative study

Background & aim: patient-centered care is considered a pivotal element of the mission of the healthcare system around the world. however implementing patient-centered care is not always easy and nurses have admitted this fact reluctantly. the evidence suggests that the first step in implementing patient-centered care is to change the professionals’ viewpoint, behavior, and understanding. this study examined nurses' perceptions of the components of patient-centered care and its delivery.methods & materials: this was qualitative descriptive research with a conventional content analysis approach. face-to-face interviews were conducted with 21 nurses, working in teaching hospitals in tabriz, iran, and 5 field notes were collected. data were analyzed using the zhang and wildemuth method of content analysis.results: three main themes and eleven sub-themes were extracted. nurses identified “effective communication”, “careful care of distinctive needs”, and “valuing the patients and their rights” as the main elements of patient-centered care.conclusion: nurses implement some components of patient-centered care. yet patient-centered care remains an ad hoc practice requiring more improvement. this study provided a deeper understanding of nurses' perceptions about the implementation of patient-centered care and their weaknesses. the finding is consistent with current knowledge, shedding light on patient-centered care-related practices performed by iranian nurses and pointing to areas for improvement in implementing patient-centered care.