Excruciating pain, enduring suffering, and searing burns: The culture of care in burn units of hospital in Iran

Reza Saadatmehr, Abouali Vedadhir, Akram Sanagoo and Leila Jouybari

Social Science & Medicine, 2025, vol. 383, issue C

Abstract: Burn injuries are among the significant threats to population health, with distinct characteristics, and caring for these injuries is of paramount importance. Along with the painful sensations, burns bring about profound grief and enduring suffering that encompass not only patients but also their families and communities. This ethnographic study, conducted in 2021–2022 focused on the pain and suffering resulting from burns and their management in the Iranian context. The primary objective of this ethnography is to explore cultural meanings and experiences of 32 nurses, 13 patients, and 3 physicians using various methods, including observation, fieldnotes, 48 ethnographic interviews, and informal conversations (overall, 356 hours). Inspired by Arthur Kleinman's approach to care and illness, we discuss the potential for "being" based on ethnographic findings from a referral burn center in Iran. This allows us to understand the human experience and its existence within an embedded context, providing a structured direction towards the future.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2025.118340

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