Abstract
Background and aims: This study aimed to design an emotional labor model for nurses within the Department of Treatment of Shahrekord.
Methods: A descriptive phenomenology approach based on Colaizzi’s method was employed. The participants were nurses from the Department of Treatment of Shahrekord, selected through purposeful sampling until theoretical saturation was achieved, resulting in 14 participants. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with nurses regarding their lived experiences of emotional labor and were analyzed using Colaizzi’s phenomenological method. The validity and reliability of the data were confirmed through Lincoln and Guba’s four criteria: credibility, confirmability, dependability, and transferability.
Results: Data analysis resulted in the identification of concepts within two main dimensions: intrinsic factors of nurses’ emotional labor (62 initial themes, 12 sub-themes, 4 main themes) and the interactional factors of nurses’ emotional labor (73 initial themes, 13 sub-themes, 4 main themes).
Conclusion: The findings indicated that nurses’ emotional labor is influenced not only by their personal and intrinsic characteristics but also significantly by the quality of interpersonal interactions and emotional expression in patient communication. The proposed model, based on these two categories of factors, provides a practical framework for healthcare managers and policymakers to enhance nursing service quality and improve nurses’ work experiences.