Caring in Nursing from an Islamic Perspective: A Grounded Theory Approach

The aim of this study was to discover the key components of caring within an Islamic context. The grounded theory methodology was utilized to discover caring processes. Seven scholars were interviewed: four were nursing scholars and three were Islamic scholars. Literature was simultaneously searched for support of emerging concepts and to fill in gaps in the emerging theory. The concepts emerging from the data are physical, ethical/moral, ideological, spiritual, and intellectual dimensions of human personality. The five antecedents emerging from the data were the five Rs: response, reflection, relationship, relatedness, and role modeling. Balancing emerged as the core category. Implications include caring instrument development, concepts to modify existing caring theories, and some recommendations for further research.