Shahla Shahbazi

Compassionate leadership is an emerging approach in healthcare management that integrates compassion with leadership to support healthcare professionals and improve the quality of care. However, its conceptual boundaries and defining characteristics remain insufficiently established, limiting its consistent application and empirical evaluation. This study aimed to clarify the concept of compassionate leadership among healthcare providers using the Walker and Avant concept analysis method and to provide a conceptual foundation for its application in healthcare leadership, education, and practice. A systematic literature search was conducted across PubMed, Scopus, PsycINFO, CINAHL, SID, and IranDoc, from database inception to August 2026, using terms related to "compassionate leadership”, "compassion”, "leadership”, and "healthcare providers”. The study selection process followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, and 19 relevant studies were included. Compassionate leadership emerged as a multidimensional construct encompassing three interconnected domains of defining attributes: ethical and value-based, emotional and interpersonal, and organizational and developmental. Its antecedents included personal and leadership characteristics, communication behaviors, organizational support, and training and development, while its consequences extended to healthcare professionals’ well-being, quality of care, organizational culture and performance, and personal and professional development. Based on these findings, compassionate leadership was defined as a leadership approach characterized by empathy, understanding, presence, and support for both patients and healthcare staff, fostering compassionate relationships, modeling compassionate behaviors, and promoting a supportive organizational culture. This concept analysis provides a clearer conceptual definition and preliminary theoretical framework for compassionate leadership in healthcare. By delineating its core attributes, antecedents, and consequences, the findings establish a foundation for distinguishing compassionate leadership from related leadership approaches and for guiding future theory development, empirical testing, and development and validation of contextually appropriate measurement instruments.

Aim: The aim of this study was to explore the lived experiences of mothers with preterm infants providing kangaroo mother care. Design: A qualitative phenomenological design. Methods: In‐depth unstructured interviews were conducted over six months, from January to June 2024, with mothers of preterm infants who were providing kangaroo mother care for at least one week. The seven‐step method was used to analyse the data. Results: Ten mothers with hospitalized preterm infants participated in this study. A constitutive pattern of “life‐giving refuge” and three main themes emerged from the lived experiences of mothers with preterm infants providing kangaroo mother care: (1) development of maternal attachment, (2) gradual empowerment, and (3) gaining confidence through positive outcomes. Conclusions: The present study highlighted the benefits of kangaroo mother care in fostering emotional bonds between mothers and infants. Additionally, it emphasized the importance of proper training, continuous support, and monitoring by healthcare professionals to maximize the effectiveness of kangaroo mother care. The findings of our study can be utilized to develop educational content for nurses and physicians to ensure the optimal implementation of kangaroo mother care. This includes explaining the benefits of kangaroo mother care for both mothers and infants, identifying mothers' concerns regarding its practice, and providing effective solutions to address those concerns. Implications for Nursing Practice: Neonatal nurses can facilitate kangaroo mother care by providing individualized education, hands‐on coaching, emotional reassurance, and ongoing encouragement to help mothers build confidence and overcome fear and uncertainty. Reporting Method: This study adhered to the SRQR reporting guideline. Patient or Public Contribution: No patient or public contribution.

Providing ethical care in nursing is of highly important, especially in intensive care units (ICUs). One of the primary challenges in these departments, du

Background and Aim: Preterm infants are subjected to numerous painful procedures during their hospitalisation. Parental involvement, especially mothers, in pain management has been emphasised as one of the most effective approaches for relieving this pain. Understanding mothers' experiences is critical to improving neonatal pain management. This study aimed to explore the lived experiences of mothers from participating in pain management for hospitalised preterm infants during invasive procedures. Methodological Design: This research is a qualitative study with an interpretive phenomenological approach. Data were collected through unstructured interviews with 10 mothers of preterm infants, employing purposeful sampling using a sequential and emergence‐driven strategy with a saturation/redundancy approach to select participants. Interviews were initiated with an open‐ended question about the mothers' experiences of participating in infants' pain management during invasive procedures, followed by probing questions based on their experiences. Data analysis was conducted through an interpretive phenomenological analysis approach. Results: The analysis revealed a constitutive pattern of ‘progressive development of capability’, comprising three themes: reconstructing the healing role of the mother, maternal growth and transformation, and becoming a healing agent. The subthemes are as follows: ‘Sense of helplessness’, ‘mother on the margin’, ‘becoming an advocate’, ‘witnessing pain, discovering responsibility’, ‘observation and learning’, ‘laying the groundwork for participation’, ‘maternal selflessness’, ‘understanding the maternal healing power’ and ‘self‐confidence’. Conclusion: The findings of this study revealed that mothers of preterm infants gradually develop the capability to manage their infants' pain with the support and education of healthcare professionals. Empowering mothers as active partners through staff education and attention to family‐centred care approaches can improve neonatal pain management.

This qualitative meta-synthesis aimed to identify facilitators and barriers to the transition of care from hospital to home in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Four electronic databases were systematically searched for qualitative research published from inception to January 2025 that explored the experiences, barriers, and facilitators of transitioning patients with traumatic brain injury from healthcare facilities to home. Papers that met the inclusion criteria were appraised using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme tool, and a thematic synthesis was conducted according to the guidelines of Thomas and Harden (2008). Of the 769 papers retrieved, 12 met the inclusion and quality criteria. The synthesis identified six themes (1): personal capacity (2), family support (3), community support (4), personal barriers (5), unsupportive healthcare system, and (6) community-related barriers. This study outlines the key components of effective transitional care, emphasizing that robust family support, access to community-based resources, and strengthening individual capacities are crucial in ensuring a successful transition. Conversely, barriers such as psychological and physical impairments, insufficient education for patients and caregivers, and the absence of structured follow-up programs impede this process. These findings provide a foundation for developing targeted interventions to enhance continuity of care and optimize rehabilitation outcomes. PROSPERO registration ID: CRD420251084100.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly integrated into healthcare, offering transformative potential for nursing practice by enhancing efficiency, accuracy, and patient outcomes. Despite growing interest, the concept of AI-assisted nursing care lacks clear consensus, hindering its clinical operationalization. This study aims to clarify this concept through a concept analysis to inform future research and practice. The Walker and Avant concept analysis method was utilized to examine ‘AI-assisted nursing care.’ A literature review was conducted across databases including PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Embase, with no temporal limits, yielding 20 relevant records for analysis. The process identified the concept’s uses, attributes, antecedents, consequences, and empirical referents. Five defining attributes of AI-assisted nursing care emerged: data-driven decision support, automation of routine tasks, enhanced predictive capabilities, personalization of care, and continuous learning and adaptability. Antecedents included availability of advanced technology, integration into healthcare systems, nursing competence and acceptance, patient data availability, and ethical and regulatory frameworks. Consequences encompassed improved patient outcomes, increased nursing efficiency, enhanced nurses’ satisfaction, potential cost savings, and ethical and social challenges. Model, borderline, and contrary cases further illustrated the concept’s application. AI-assisted nursing care holds significant promise for revolutionizing clinical practice by improving care quality and nursing workflows. However, its implementation demands addressing technological, ethical, and systemic challenges. Future research should prioritize empirical validation of these findings and promote equitable access to AI technologies across diverse healthcare settings to fully realize its potential.

Background: The COVID‐19 pandemic has disrupted educational systems worldwide, including higher education systems. In response to the public health crisis, many universities had to transition to online learning platforms to ensure the safety of students and faculty members. This study aims to explore and describe in depth how nursing students experienced distance learning during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Methods: A conventional content analysis design was employed. Using purposive sampling, 24 nursing students were recruited and interviewed in depth via semistructured interviews. The data were analyzed via Zhang and Wildemuth’s (2009) content analysis until the data saturation point was reached. Results: The following five main themes emerged: (1) a chaotic educational environment; (2) a lack of active interaction and engagement; (3) students’ unfamiliarity with academic skills and behaviors; (4) unripe virtual evaluation; and (5) self‐management of learning. Conclusion: The findings highlight that improving technology infrastructure, training faculty in virtual pedagogy, and fostering active engagement in online environments are critical to enhancing nursing education. Policymakers must prioritize equitable access to digital tools, particularly for students in rural or low‐income settings, to ensure inclusive learning opportunities.

Background: Standard precautions (SPs) including hand hygiene are considered fundamental protective measures to manage health care-associated infections (HCAIs) and to reduce occupational health hazards. The purpose of this research was to examine the effectiveness of an infection control link nurse (ICLN) program on compliance with SPs and hand hygiene among nurses. Methods: A quasi-experimental study with a pretest-post-test design was conducted with participating of 154 clinical nurses who worked in different wards of a tertiary referral teaching hospital in Iran. The intervention group (n = 77) had 16 infection control link nurses nominated. The control group (n = 77) received only the standard multimodal approach used in the hospital. Pre- and post-test assessment of compliance with standard precautions and hand hygiene compliance was performed via the Compliance with Standard Precautions Scale (CSPS) and the World Health Organization observational hand hygiene form. Two independent sample t-tests were used to examine differences between Compliance with Standard Precautions and hand hygiene Compliance among nurses in intervention and control group. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to assess the effect size. Results: After developing and implementing the infection control link nurse program, no statistically significant improvement was found in the Compliance with Standard Precautions (β = 5.18; 95% CI= -0.3–10.65, p = 0.064). An improvement in hand hygiene compliance was observed among nurses in the intervention group that improved statistically significant from 18.80% before the program to 37.32% 6 months after the program (β = 20.82; 95% CI 16.40–25.25, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Given the continuing level of interest that exists in improving health care workers’ hand hygiene practices, the findings of this study provide significant practical implications for hospitals seeking to improve compliance with hand hygiene among nurses, showing the effectiveness of using infection control link nurse program. Further research is needed to assess effectiveness of using infection control link nurse program to improve compliance with standard precautions.

Background: The prevalence of diabetes is increasing rapidly worldwide. Nurses work collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams to improve diabetes management. Yet, little is known about nurses’ role in nutritional management of diabetes. This study aimed to evaluate nurses’ knowledge, attitudes, and practice (KAP) toward nutritional management of diabetes. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted with 160 nurses, who were recruited between July 4 and July 18, 2021 from two referral tertiary teaching hospitals in Iran. A validated paper-based self-reported questionnaire was used to assess nurses’ KAP. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression analysis. Results: The mean knowledge score of nurses about nutritional management of diabetes was 12.16 ± 2.83, and 61.2% showing a moderate knowledge level on nutritional management of diabetes. The mean attitudes score was 60.68 ± 6.11, with 86.92% of participants demonstrating positive attitudes. The mean practice score of study participants was 44.74 ± 7.81, with 51.9% having a moderate level of practice. Higher knowledge scores were observed among male nurses (B = -7.55, p = 0.009) and those with blended learning as a preferred learning method (B = 7.28, p = 0.029). Having an opportunity to provide education to patients with diabetes during shifts affected nurses’ attitudes positively (B = -7.59, p = 0.017). Practice scores were higher among nurses who perceived themselves competent in the nutritional management of diabetes (B = -18.05, p = 0.008). Conclusion: Nurses’ knowledge and practice in the nutritional management of diabetes should be increased to help improve the quality of the dietary care and patient education they provide these patients. Further studies are needed to confirm the results of this study both in Iran and internationally.