Compassionate care is an international priority of healthcare professionals. There is little understanding about how workplace issues impact provision of compassionate care in nursing practice. Therefore, it is important to address the workplace issues and organizational factors which may hinder compassionate care delivery within nursing practice.

The aim of this study was to explore workplace and organizational barriers to compassionate care from the nurses’ perspective.

The study used a qualitative exploratory design, and data were analyzed by conventional content analysis.

A total of 15 nurses working in different fields of nursing were recruited from four hospitals at northwest of Iran. Participants were selected by purposive sampling. Semistructured interviews were conducted for data collection.

Ethical approval of this study was gained from the Ethical Review Board of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences.

The main theme which emerged from data analysis was "unsupportive organizational culture." This theme had two main categories including "excessive workload alongside inadequate staffing" and "the lack of value on compassionate care."

Organizational barriers to development of compassionate in clinical practice were identified in this study. A closer examination of these barriers is required to move compassionate practice from an individual responsibility to a collective responsibility that is owned and shared by organizations.

For compassionate care to flourish, policy makers, managers, and healthcare providers must foster an organizational atmosphere conducive to compassionate care.