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Abstract
The autonomy of chronic patients in Iranian hospitals is challenged by impaired functioning resulting from chronic illness, a negative image in society, and effects related to hospitalization. Comprehensive interviews and observations of 34 patients, nurses, and physicians were performed to assess the autonomy of chronic patients in Iran. Conceptualization, constant comparison, and the combination of data resulted in the identification of 5 main categories related to autonomy: welcoming paternalism, self-expression, self-proof, shared decision making, and self-determination. Authority scrambling was a central category describing chronic patients’ perceptions of their autonomy during hospitalization. These patients sought to maintain their independence despite serious threats to their autonomy.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We are grateful to the participants who kindly agreed to participate in this study. Also, we thank all staff and colleagues of the teaching hospitals affiliated to Tabriz University of Medical Sciences and Hamadan University of Medical Sciences.
FUNDING
This study is part of a large study conducted for a doctoral dissertation that was approved by the ethical committee and supported with a research grant (number 5/4/3845) for a Ph.D. thesis at Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. This research was supported by Tabriz University of Medical Sciences; appreciation is extended to the research deputy of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences for financial support.