Nurses’ implementation of humanistic care: A meta-synthesis of qualitative studies

AimTo systematically evaluate and synthesize the existing qualitative evidence on nurses' lived experiences and challenges in delivering humanistic care, with the aim of informing clinical strategies and policy development.DesignQualitative meta-synthesis.MethodsA comprehensive literature search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, Embase, Ovid, CNKI, SinoMed, Wanfang Data, and VIP Database from inception to February 25, 2025. Studies were included if they explored nurses' real-world experiences and perceived barriers in providing humanistic nursing care. The methodological quality of the included studies was appraised using the JBI Critical Appraisal Checklist for Qualitative Research. A meta-aggregation approach was used to synthesize the findings.ResultsA total of 23 qualitative studies were included. From these, 97 themes were extracted, categorized into 14 descriptive sub-themes, and further synthesized into four overarching findings: (1) Dimensions and practices of humanistic nursing care, (2) The meaning and value of humanistic care, (3) Barriers and limitations in the implementation of humanistic nursing care, and (4) Strategies and expectations for improving humanistic nursing care.ConclusionThe significance of humanistic nursing care is considerable, yet there are multiple barriers in practice. Attention should be paid both to shared and divergent clinical needs, strengthening humanistic education and training, and addressing nurse workload issues. Meanwhile, the human-centered design of digital health technologies should be further optimized so that technology serves as an aid, rather than a substitute, in implementing compassionate care.