Background: Although the occurrence of malnutrition in hospitals is a growing concern, little is known about how\nhospital staff understand the care that nurses provide to patients with malnutrition. The purpose of this study was\nto explore nursesââ?¬â?¢ views and experiences of caring for malnourished patients in Saudi Arabia (KSA).\nMethods: Using a qualitative explorative design, fifteen nurses were interviewed as part of a purposive sample\nhospital staff. The transcripts were analyzed using latent content analysis.\nResults: The nurses spontaneously and consistently linked malnutrition with physical inactivity. The two main\ncategories, which emerged, were: ââ?¬Ë?Potentials for nurses to provide good nutrition and physical activityââ?¬â?¢, and ââ?¬Ë?Having\nthe ability but not the power to promote proper nutrition and physical activityââ?¬â?¢. These arose from the\nsubcategories: Good nursing implies providing appropriate health education; Acknowledging the Mourafiq (sitter) as\na potential resource for the nursing, but also as a burden; Inadequate control and lack of influence; Cultural\ndiversity and lack of dialog; and Views of womenââ?¬â?¢s weight gain in KSA society.\nConclusions: The nurses felt they have the capacity and passion to further improve the nutrition and activity of\ntheir patients, but obstacles in the health care system are impeding these ambitions. The implications for nursing\npractice could be acknowledgement of the nursesââ?¬â?¢ views in the clinical practice; culturally adjusted care, improved\ncommunication and enhanced language skills.
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