Fariba Taleghani, Elaheh Ashouri, Mehrdad Memarzadeh and Mortaza Saburi
The purpose of this paper is to explore oncology nurses’ barriers to empathy-based care perceptions.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore oncology nurses’ barriers to empathy-based care perceptions.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors used a descriptive qualitative method. In total, 18 oncology nurses were selected via purposive sampling. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and qualitative content analysis using an inductive approach.
Findings
Three main categories emerged from the data analysis: barriers related to nursing including: lacking compassion; disinterest in oncology nursing and self-criticism; psychological distress; barriers related to healthcare: job strain; task-centeredness; no formal training; poor manager support; nurse-patient gender imbalance; and barriers related to cancer care including: difficulty maintaining empathy with cancer patients; and inappropriate cancer patient
Practical implications
Oncology nurses provided insights into barriers to empathy-based care and the challenges they encountered while caring for cancer patients. Understanding these barriers is the first step to overcoming obstacles and creating an open and caring environment to provide an empathic care culture.
Originality/value
Given that oncology nurses experience several emotions, positive coping strategies for these distresses should be adopted. Healthcare systems should change cancer-caring culture from task-centered to patient-centered care. Compassion and empathy should become patient care values.
Details
Keywords
Eliot Assoudeh and Debra J. Salazar
Contributing to the literature on movement structure in authoritarian regimes, this analysis focuses on the structure of two Iranian movements. We use a multi-method approach to…
Abstract
Contributing to the literature on movement structure in authoritarian regimes, this analysis focuses on the structure of two Iranian movements. We use a multi-method approach to analyze the organization of the student and women’s movements in Iran between 1997 and 2008. From 1997 to 2004, a reform government opened political opportunities. The period between 2005 and 2008 was characterized by increased repression. The student movement was organized during the first period as a hybrid composed of several networks linked in a federal structure. As the political context changed, the movement became less centralized. Its strategy shifted from one based in alliance with governing reformers to coalition building outside of the regime. In contrast, the women’s movement was organized as a densely linked web of noncentralized campaigns. The women’s movement overcame divisions as political opportunities closed in the mid-2000s and built a grassroots strategy during the latter part of the decade.