Introduction: Quality in health care has various aspects, definitions, and interpretations. According to diverse definitions of nursing care quality in different cultures, this study explored the meaning of nursing care quality from the stakeholders’ point of view. Method: This study employed a hermeneutic phenomenological approach to depict the lived experiences of nurses, doctors, and patients and their relatives about nursing care quality. Data was collected through deep individual interviews and observasions. The collected data was then analyzed using Diekelmann’s seven-stage method. Results: We performed individual interviews with six doctors, 10 nurses, and 22 patients. Moreover, 20 patient relatives were interviewed in a focus group. The first stage of data analysis revealed 2312 initial codes. The ongoing process of analysis, comparison, and reductions resulted in a final number of five themes and 22 subthemes. Doctors, nurses, and patients and their relatives defined the concept of nursing care quality as “meeting the needs of patients through purposeful care and appropriate relationships, support, mutual respect, responsibility, and accountability”. Conclusion: Nursing managers must identify strategies to support and provide better nursing care which reflects purposeful care, nursing responsibility, appropriate relationships, and patient respect and support for all clients. These findings may also be used by nursing educators to improve nursing curricula.
Keywords: Nursing care quality, Hermeneutic phenomenology, Nurse, Doctor, Patient
