Document is current

Article History

Received: 5 January 2026

Accepted: 10 July 2026

First Online: 18 July 2026

Declarations

Ethics approval and consent to participate: The study protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences (Ethics Code: IR.MUMS.NURSE.REC.1402.131) and conducted in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Written informed consent was obtained from all participants after providing comprehensive information about the study objectives, the voluntary nature of participation, the right to withdraw at any time without consequences, and assurances of complete confidentiality and anonymity throughout the research process. Participants were also informed that the interviews would be audio-recorded to ensure the accuracy of the collected data; however, they retained the right to decline audio recording at any stage of the interview. In such cases, the recorder was turned off, and their responses were documented through detailed note-taking.

Consent for publication: All individuals taking part in the research received a comprehensive explanation of the study’s aims, methodology and intended dissemination of findings. Prior to commencing data gathering, written informed consent was secured from each participant. This consent explicitly granted permission to publish anonymized excerpts from their interviews. Confidentiality was guaranteed through the removal or alteration of all personally identifiable information, with the assurance that data would be used exclusively for academic purposes.

Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.