Tehran University of Medical Sciences Nursing Practice Today 2383-1154 7 3 2020 07 01 217 225 Maryam Rassouli Cancer Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Vahid Zamanzadeh Department of Medical-Surgical Nursing, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran Leila Valizadeh Department of Pediatric Nursing, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran Akram Ghahramanian Department of Medical-Surgical Nursing, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran Elnaz Asghari Student Research Committee, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran 2019 10 30 2020 01 25 Background & Aim: Patient-centered care is considered a pivotal element of the mission of the healthcare system around the world. However implementing Patient-centered care is not always easy and nurses have admitted this fact reluctantly. The evidence suggests that the first step in implementing Patient-centered care is to change the professionals’ viewpoint, behavior, and understanding. This study examined nurses' perceptions of the components of Patient-centered care and its delivery. Methods & Materials: This was qualitative descriptive research with a conventional content analysis approach. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 21 nurses, working in teaching hospitals in Tabriz, Iran, and 5 field notes were collected. Data were analyzed using the Zhang and Wildemuth method of content analysis. Results: Three main themes and eleven sub-themes were extracted. Nurses identified “Effective Communication”, “Careful Care of Distinctive Needs”, and “Valuing the Patients and Their Rights” as the main elements of Patient-centered care. Conclusion: Nurses implement some components of Patient-centered care. Yet Patient-centered care remains an ad hoc practice requiring more improvement. This study provided a deeper understanding of nurses' perceptions about the implementation of Patient-centered care and their weaknesses. The finding is consistent with current knowledge, shedding light on Patient-centered care-related practices performed by Iranian nurses and pointing to areas for improvement in implementing Patient-centered care. https://npt.tums.ac.ir/index.php/npt/article/view/838 https://npt.tums.ac.ir/index.php/npt/article/download/838/450