Journal of Qualitative Research in Health Sciences
Volume:4 Issue: 2, 2015

Care is the basis and foundation of nursing. In the cardiac intensive care unit (CICU), rescuing patients in critical conditions depends on the nursing care process. The aim of this study was the exploration of the nursing care process in the CICU. This study was conducted using the qualitative research method of grounded theory. Sampling was begun purposefully and gradually continued, according to the obtained codes and categories, using theoretical sampling until data saturation. Data collection methods included semi-structured interviews, observations, and field notes. In this study, interviews were conducted with 15 nurses, 3 physician, 3 patients, and 2 relatives of patients in Semnan Fatemieh Hospital in 2012-2013. The time duration of interviews was between 40 to 90 minutes. Interviews were digitally recorded and immediately transcribed verbatim. Data analysis was performed simultaneously to data collection using the constant comparative analysis method of Strauss and Corbin. The accuracy and rigor of the study were confirmed using the criteria of Lincoln and Guba. In the present study, 3235 primary codes, 22 primary categories, and 6 categories in the nursing care process were extracted. The categories include "threatening patient’s life ", "low attention to nurses’ professional identity", "nursing competence", "undesirable professional communications", "stressful environment", and "adequacy/inadequacy". Each of these categories contained subcategories with specific characteristics. The results show that the nursing care process in the CICU is a correlated, dynamic, and complex concept continually influenced by factors effective on care. On the one hand, life-threatening conditions of patients, and the other hand, environment, working conditions, communication, and competence of nurses are effective on the patient care process in the CICU.

Although divorce is related to marriage and is usually due to unsuccessful marriage, the marriage of divorced couples is less studied. This research was performed using a qualitative exploratory research design. Unstructured indepth interviews were conducted with 12 divorced subjects. The collected data were analyzed using constant comparative method. The main theme of “problematic marriage” with two subcategories of “motivations” and “conditions” were achieved in this research. The subcategories consisted of 2 subclasses of “marriage criteria” and “decision-making conditions for marriage”. It seems that the traditional function of marriage is changing even in small and traditional societies and couples’ willingness to end unsatisfying marriages has increased. The majority of divorces in this study were related to problematic marriages especially marriages begun in haste, with inadequate knowledge of each other, and without consent of either party. Therefore, it is necessary that the marriage ceremony is performed in a way that increases the stability and continuity of the marriage.

Drug use has many psychological and behavioral consequences. The elimination of psychological dependence on drugs is much more difficult than that of physical dependence and it requires the passage of time and different stages, and internal care. The purpose of this study was the identification of factors affecting drug withdrawal stability among Narcotics Anonymous (NA) members. This research was conducted using qualitative methods and focus groups interviews. The statistical population included all members of NA who lived in Isfahan, Iran, in 2011 and at least two years had passed since their drug withdrawal stability. For this purpose, data were collected from 18 NA members using purposive sampling. Data were collected and analyzed using content analysis method in 3 stages of conceptualization, interview, and data analysis. The 2 major themes of "social relations and support received from them" and “individual character and identity" were extracted. The former theme consisted of 2 subcategories of “the quantity and type of relationship” and “social support network”. The later theme included the subcategories of “cognition”, “emotion”, and “dignity”. Instance and themes of each subcategory was explained in detail. The findings indicate that the most effective factor in drug withdrawal stability is receiving cognitive support from sympathizers (other members of the association). This support results in the changing of attitudes and self-awareness. Other factors that have impact on drug withdrawal stability included reforming family relationships, receiving emotional support and support regarding dignity from family members, increasing of confidence, and recovery of social status.

In recent years, the number of natural and man-made disasters has increased considerably around the world. Iran has a long history of disaster events. Because of nurses’ unique role as professional and volunteer responders in times of disaster, more information is required regarding the personal competencies they need in order to provide more effective disaster response. This paper presented the results of a study aimed to explore the required specific personal competencies of nurses in disaster response. This study was part of a larger qualitative content analysis on nurses’ competencies in disaster response in 2012 in Iran. In the present study, 35 interviews were conducted with nurses who had recent experiences of providing care in a disaster situation. Purposeful sampling was performed and continued until data saturation. The data were collected through in-depth unstructured interviews and analyzed using a conventional content analysis approach. Data analysis resulted in the identification of the main theme of “specific personal competencies” and its 4 subcategories of physical abilities, self-management, meta-competencies, and communication abilities. Considering the stress and biopsychospiritual pressure of disaster on nurses, personal competencies such as physical abilities, self-management, decision-making skills, speed in taking action, the ability to act independently, tolerance, critical thinking skills, and professional communication skills are necessary for nurses for effective disaster response. Our findings can be used as a guide for selecting nurses with appropriate personal abilities for effective disaster response and preparation of nurses for such circumstances.

Today, community nurses are challenged by the issues of motherhood, family health, and increased addiction among women. Attention to these issues has been emphasized by many organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations (UN). The aim of the present study was to determine the most recent nursing studies about these phenomena and to create a large compilation of the results of these qualitative studies. This was a metasynthesis of 3 studies on addicted women; 2 studies were ethnographies and 1 was a retrospective qualitative research. The sample consisted of 56 women. The Hare and Nobilt procedure was used in the present study. The 5 core concepts obtained included positive attitude toward drugs and fear of the effect of drugs on the child before birth, the feeling of being an addicted mother, ambivalence and the ability to confront suffering, being an ideal mother and decreasing the sense of guilt, affective fibrillation and addiction recurrence due to lack of community and family support. Paying attention to addicted mothers, as the most vulnerable segment of society, and consideration of their experiences will be effective in reducing social problems and success of counter drugs programs. Providing support for these mothers because of numerous physical and mental problems is a priority. The availability of suitable social conditions and support for addicted women will increase the probability of their successful return to family and community.

Although many people around the world are dealing with addiction, still no method that can detect and permanently treat it has been found. Premarital addiction test is one of the factors of great importance in this field. An erroneous detection in this test affects the psychosocial aspects and marital decisions of the individual. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the health system in premarital addiction tests and its psychosocial effects. This interpretive qualitative study was performed using content analysis. Data were collected from 6 focus group discussions and 2 semi-structured individual interviews with couples and health care personnel. All interviews were tape-recorded and transcribed verbatim, and themes were extracted using content analysis method. Qualitative content analysis determined the 2 themes of lack of professional adequacy and consequence of marriage. Premarital addiction test is one of the health services provided by the health care system. An incorrect diagnosis not only has a considerable impact on different aspects of individuals’ life, but is also closely related to the psychosocial concept of dignity. Therefore, the professional competence of the staff in providing these services is very important and necessary.

Psychology and counseling activities in schools provide services based on the needs of students and solve the educational problems of students in the school context and through the psychological perspectives. However, evidence suggests that numerous challenges exist in terms of the quality, performance, and effectiveness of these activities. Therefore, the present study was conducted with the aim to identify the challenges to the psychology and counseling activities in schools. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. The research population included principles, counselors, teachers, and students of West Azarbaijan, Iran, during the educational year of 2012-2013. The study subjects were selected using purposive sampling (which is mainly used in qualitative studies). Data were analyzed using framework analysis. Accordingly, a thematic framework was developed and the main themes were identified. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 48 participants. The results showed that 3 main themes and 30 subcategories were identified to explain the challenges of psychology and counseling activities. The main themes included personal, environmental, and organizational challenges. Numerous factors affect the quality of school counseling activities that have a cause and effect relationship. Therefore, any attempt to improve the quality of school counseling activities requires a systematic and coordinated effort with a deep understanding of the barriers and challenges. In this study, challenges in school counseling activities were identified and classified in 3 areas of personal, environmental, and organizational factors.

Successful parents have a crucial role in creating a healthy family and a healthy family is the foundation of a healthy community. Thus, the present research was conducted with the aim to investigate successful parents’ experiences regarding factors affecting a healthy family. In the present qualitative research, the phenomenological approach was used. For this purpose, 13 successful parents with a minimum of 15 years of marital life and high level of health and marital satisfaction were selected using purposive sampling method. The participants were studied via exploratory and in-depth interviews during a 12-month period. Data were collected, registered, encoded, and classified into 5 main categories. Through the analysis of the participants’ experiences 429 primary codes, 27 subthemes, and 5 main themes were identified. The main themes included personal, marital, familial, parenting, and social factors. Different factors such as responsibility, forgiveness, maturity, commitment, intimacy, acknowledgment, attempting to please one another, cooperation, reciprocal caring, sexual satisfaction, familism, monitoring, flexibility, leisure time, not following fashion, and contact with relatives contribute to building a healthy family. Although these factors have a fundamental role in shaping a successful family, they have been overlooked. Therefore, with regard to marriage, it is necessary to pay more attention to social and cultural factors.

Peer learning is one of the tools used to empower nurses in obtaining and improving their clinical and administrative skills. This study was performed to determine the most important peer learning strategies in the field of nursing. This was a qualitative, interpretive, and phenomenological study. The participants were selected from among nurses who worked in emergency wards of general hospitals in Tehran, Iran. Through purposeful sampling with maximum variation, 35 participants were selected. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. The interviews were continued until data saturation. Analytical framework and Atlas-Ti software were used for data analysis. In this study, 521 primary cods 7 main themes, and 21 subthemes were extracted. The main themes included the importance of peer learning, barriers of peer learning, exposure to peer learning, factors affecting peer learning, different peer learning strategies, the role of environment in peer learning, and psychological characteristics of employees. Peer learning has an important role in the improvement of the professional skills of nurses. The results showed that the participants listed the 3 strategies of learning through observation of the process, through exploring the facts, and from experts as learning while working strategies. Because of the role of the environment in this learning strategy, clear plans must be made for the management of talents, and providing appropriate learning environment, alignment of personnel, and fair pay in hospitals.

Abstract Memoing is a logical recording of that which the researcher learns from the data. Lack of memoing in qualitative researches is a major problem which has a negative effect on the final outcome of a project. Therefore, this research was conducted with the purpose of evaluating different aspects of memoing in qualitative research. This was a narrative review study performed through searching the keywords of "memo", "memoing", and "qualitative research" in databases and available printed materials related to qualitative research. Therefore, 42 books and articles published between 1978 and 2013 were reviewed. A qualitative research is a developmental journey. The researcher should expect the formation of different ideas and changes in performance. These differences can be detected and affected through memoing. Memoing is a process in which events, thoughts, and their changes are recorded in chronological order according to reasons and circumstances without a specific writing style. Memoing is a kind of reflection written to consider and explain the meanings ascribed to codes related to the participants and researchers, to clarify, arrange, and develop ideas, to record important quotations or statements, and to identify relationships between codes and hypotheses related to a topic. Memos are divided into code, theoretical, and operational memos. Memoing is an effective tool for a rich research experience in all qualitative research methods. Qualitative researchers, through a comprehensive view of memoing, can stay true to the data and data context and increase the validity and reliability of their research.