title: Perspectives of Cardiac Care Unit Nursing Staff about Developing Hospice Services in Iran for Terminally ill Cardiovascular Patients: A Qualitative Study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The present study was conducted aiming to determine the points of view of cardiac care units' nursing staff about designing and providing Hospice services in Iran for cardiovascular patients in the final stages of life.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this qualitative study, the perspectives of 16 Cardiac Care Unit (CCU) nurses selected purposefully among hospitals of Tabriz-Iran University of Medical Sciences were investigated using semi-structured interviews and were analyzed in content analysis method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  33 themes were finally extracted. Some nurses were for and some were against designing and providing Hospice services in Iran. The main reasons identified for supporting this plan included: Possibility of designing and providing these services consistent with high ethical values of Iranian society; approval of authorities due to increasing the load of chronic diseases and aged population; need of families due to the problems in taking care of patients and life concerns; better pain relief and respectful death; decrease of costs as a result of lower usage of diagnostic-therapeutic services, less use of expensive facilities and drugs, and better usage of hospital beds.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Growing load of chronic diseases has made the need for Hospice as a necessary issue in Iran. In order to provide these services, studying the viewpoints of health service providers is inevitable. Therefore using and applying the results of this study in planning and policy making about designing and providing these services in Iran for cardiovascular patients in their final stages of lives could be helpful.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Services Management, Health management and Economics Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Saber
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Azami-Aghdash
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Liver and Gastrointestinal Disease Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Morteza
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ghojazadeh
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Students' Research Committee, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Naghavi-Behzad
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Cardiovascular Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Shahin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Imani
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical-Surgical Nursing, Iranian Center of Excellence in Health Management, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Mir Hossein
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Aghaei
keywords: Cardiovascular patients; Development; End-of-life; Hospice services; Iran; Nurses; Point of view