Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Recent diagnostic and therapeutic advances worldwide have led to an increase in the survival rate of patients with heart failure and their frequent hospitalizations. Nevertheless, survival rates remain significantly lower in Iran. Compassionate care shows promise in improving outcomes in this context. Consequently this study aimed to uncover the meaning of nurses providing compassionate care to patients with heart failure drawing from their lived experiences. METHODS: A qualitative hermeneutic approach reflective of Heideggerian phenomenology was used as a philosophical framework. The sampling strategy was purposive. Individual and semi-structured interviews were conducted with nurses (n = 14) working in cardiology departments. The seven-steps of hermeneutic analysis were used to make sense of the data collected. RESULTS: Data analysis revealed two themes and six subthemes along with one constitutive pattern. Nurses had experienced the delivery of humanizing compassionate care, along with the paradox of providing compassionate care for patients with heart failure. The first theme included the following sub-themes; 'put yourself in the patient' s shoes'; 'superiority of altruism over duty'; 'relying on the pillar of honesty in giving information to patient'; and 'respecting the patient's cultural beliefs'. The second theme also included sub-themes related to 'Satisfaction through compassion' and 'compassion fatigue'. In this study, a constitutive pattern was revealed; "the unbreakable chain of human relations in compassionate care delivered to heart failure patients". CONCLUSION: Findings can be used as a guide for nurses' delivery of compassionate care. Compassionate care may be usefully promoted to improve outcomes in this context but must be paired with psychological support for the workforce.