Introduction: Intimacy is a kind of communication in which people need to have mutual trust and emotional closeness, and be able to detect each other's thoughts and feelings. Nurses need to establish a meaningful relationship with the child and his/her family. This study aimed to explain the quality of intimacy between nurses and patients in pediatric ward.
Method: This phenomenological study was done in two university medical centers affiliated to Mazandaran and Golestan universities of medical sciences in Iran during the year 2016. 12 nurses were chosen in pediatric wards via purposive sampling method. To collect the data, semi-structured interviews were performed with at least one common question "When I say intimacy with the patient, what comes to your mind? Tell me about it"; probing questions such as why, how, and for example, frequently were used to deepen interviews. Interviews were recorded and transcribed immediately, and then were analyzed using a 7-step Collaizzi method.
Results: A central theme of "intimacy as the key of successful relationship" with three subthemes "interaction for patient education", "interaction for qualified care", and "care for humanitarian interaction" were extracted.
Conclusion: Nurses' perception of intimacy with the patient and his/her family was nothing but professional communication for qualified care. Using the art of intimacy, nurses interact with patients and make a bridge to educate, take care, follow up, and treat the patient and family based on humanitarian behaviors.
Keywords: Nurses, Patient relationship, Family, Child, Phenomenolog
