Parents’ perceptions of high-quality nursing care for children with cancer: a qualitative descriptive study

Parents remain closely involved in caring for children hospitalized with cancer, yet nursing quality extends beyond clinical task performance. Although previous studies have identified important aspects of pediatric oncology nursing care, less is known about how parents integrate these dimensions when evaluating overall care quality. To describe parents’ perceptions of high-quality nursing care for children hospitalized with cancer and explore how these dimensions shape parental confidence in care reliability. A qualitative descriptive study was conducted in a pediatric oncology ward in Sanandaj, Iran. Sixteen parents (14 mothers and two fathers) participated in semi-structured interviews, and seven completed follow-up interviews, resulting in 23 interview encounters. Data were analyzed using inductive qualitative content analysis. Reflexive notes, field notes, an audit trail, collaborative analytic review, and participant follow-up supported trustworthiness. Five interconnected categories were identified: building a respectful and responsive care relationship; demonstrating clinical vigilance and technical competence; providing emotional security and child-centered support; enabling parental caregiving through practical education; and organizational conditions constraining reliable care. Parents evaluated nursing quality through the interaction of these dimensions. Parental confidence emerged as an integrated interpretation reflecting perceptions of care as safe, responsive, individualized, and dependable. Confidence was challenged when parents perceived workload pressures, overcrowding, staffing concerns, or variability in expertise as affecting care consistency. Parent-perceived nursing quality in pediatric oncology was described as multidimensional, reflecting parents’ perceptions of interactions between nursing practices and contextual conditions. Future quality-improvement efforts may consider communication, competence, emotional support, education, and organizational factors that parents perceive as influencing reliable care delivery.