Background: The American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Association of Neonatal Nurses recommend that palliative care be provided as standard care in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). Objectives: The present study aimed to explain the nurses' experiences of barriers to palliative care in NICUs. Methods: This qualitative study was conducted using the content analysis approach in NICUs of Beheshti and Amin hospitals in Isfahan in 2020. The data were collected using semi-structured in-depth interviews with 12 nurses who had palliative and end-of-life care experiences for infants and families. The nurses were selected using purposive sampling. The duration of each interview varied from 25 to 50 minutes. Data were analyzed using conventional qualitative content analysis conducted inductively with Graham and Lundman’s approach. The criteria proposed by Guba and Lincoln were used to ensure the credibility and reliability of the data. Results: Three main categories were extracted from the data, including unfavorable conditions (subcategorized into “unsuitable physical environment” and “shortage of nurses”), nurse's mental problems (with the subcategories of “nurses’ mental problems in providing neonatal care” and “nurses’ mental problems in providing family care”) and challenges ahead (with the subcategories of "parental presence challenge” and “doctor's instructions challenge”). Conclusions: The findings of the present study revealed the barriers to palliative care for infants and families in NICUs. Given the importance of palliative care in NICUs, effective measures must be taken to overcome these barriers.

Introduction:Palliative care for newborns and their families is urgent. Nurses' experiences need to be considered in order to implement palliative care. Therefore, the present study was conducted to explain the Nurses' Experiences of Palliative Care in the NICU.Methods: This study was conducted by qualitative content analysis in the neonatal intensive care units of Isfahan, Iran, in 2020. Inclusion criteria for nurses were the consent to participate in the study and experience of caring for the newborn and their family at the end of life. For data collection by the purposeful sampling method, in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 nurses. Interviews were recorded, typed, and analyzed. Goba and Lincoln criteria were used to ensure the rigor of the data. Results:The first theme was palliative care for the newborn. This theme consists of two categories: "compassionate end-of-life care" and " spiritual end-of-life care". The second theme was palliative care of the family. This theme consists of two categories: "Palliative care of the family before the death of the newborn" and "Palliative care of the family after the death of the newborn ". Conclusion:The results of this research are in line with the WHO definition of palliative care in pediatric, which refers to the active total care of the child's body, mind and spirit, and family support. The results of this research are used to improve the care of infants and families at the end of life and death for officials and nurses of NICU.