Tabriz University of Medical Sciences Journal of Caring Sciences 2251-9920 10 1 2021 03 01 Understanding the Meaning of Lived Experience "Maternal Near Miss": A Qualitative Study Protocol 43 48 10.34172/jcs.2021.008 EN Sedigheh Abdollahpour https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6112-0052 Abbas Heydari https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1082-7488 Hosein Ebrahimipour https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1811-372X Farhad Faridhosseini https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4790-5750 Talat Khadivzadeh https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9872-3933 Journal Article 10.34172/jcs.2021.008 2019 04 19 2020 10 31 Abstract Introduction:Maternal near-miss (MNM) is defined as "a woman who almost died but survived a serious maternal complication during pregnancy, childbirth, or within 42 days of completion of pregnancy". Despite the long-term physical and psychological burden of this event on the mother’s life, the meaning of MNM is not clear. In addition, the mother’s role complicates the understanding of this phenomenon. Therefore, this study aimed to understand lived experience of Iranian "near-miss" mothers in the postpartum period. Methods:In this Heideggerian phenomenological study, we used Souza and colleagues’ theoretical framework to understand the meaning of the lived experience of near-miss mothers in-depth. The participants had experienced MNM at least one year ago by World Health Organization (WHO)approach in multicenter, academic, tertiary care hospitals in Mashhad, Iran. Taking into account reflexivity and after obtaining ethical approval, participants were purposively sampled using semi-structured interviews, and data analysis was conducted by Diekelmann and colleagues up to data saturation. Data collection and analysis has been argued by Lincoln and Guba. Discussion:Our findings resulted in updating the existing knowledge about the meaning of MNM and its implication. Given the different needs and challenges of near-miss mothers, it is necessary to design a supportive program of primary care for them. Policymakers and managers should consider the lived experience of these mothers when planning and taking decisions.