en تشخیص و درمان بیماری‌های جانبازان يا معلولان Diagnosis and Treatment of Veterans or Handicapped Diseases پژوهشی اصيل Original Research <span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif"><strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Cambria&quot;,serif"><span style="color:#f79646">Aims:</span></span></span></strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Cambria&quot;,serif"> Therapeutic communication and ethical decision-making are essential for high-quality nursing care in critical care settings. Nurses frequently encounter ethical dilemmas and communication challenges that may affect patient outcomes. This study evaluated the effect of an integrated educational program on ethical principles and therapeutic communication in improving nurses&rsquo; knowledge and practices in critical care units.</span></span></span></span><br> <span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif"><strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Cambria&quot;,serif"><span style="color:#f79646">Materials & Methods:</span></span></span></strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Cambria&quot;,serif"> This quantitative quasi-experimental study with pre-test, post-test, and follow-up was conducted among 110 nurses working in critical care units at Hilla Teaching Hospitals in Babylon, Iraq. Participants were purposively selected and randomly assigned to an experimental group and a control group (n=55 per group). The experimental group attended the educational program, while the control group did not. Data were collected from April 20 to July 10, 2025, using a validated questionnaire (72 items; reliability coefficient r=0.84). Pre-test, immediate post-test, and one-month follow-up assessments were administered to evaluate knowledge and practice changes.</span></span></span></span><br> <span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Cambria&quot;,serif"><span style="color:#f79646">Findings:</span></span></span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Cambria&quot;,serif"> Nurses in the experimental group demonstrated statistically significant improvements in their knowledge of ethical principles (p<0.05) and therapeutic communication skills compared to the control group. Post-test scores showed a shift from poor/fair to good levels of knowledge and practice. Gains were particularly strong in areas, such as patient autonomy, informed consent, therapeutic boundaries, and patient-centered communication. The one-month follow-up confirmed retention of knowledge and stability of practice improvements.</span></span></span></span><br> <span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif"><strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Cambria&quot;,serif"><span style="color:#f79646">Conclusion:</span></span></span></strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Cambria&quot;,serif"> The integrated ethical and therapeutic communication educational program is effective in enhancing critical care nurses&rsquo; knowledge and practices.</span></span></span></span> Therapeutic Communication,Knowledge,Critical Care,Nurses,Iraq, 309 318 http://ijwph.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-2365-1&slc_lang=en&sid=1 H.Y. Shimran 15300319475328460028460 15300319475328460028460 Yes Department of Adult Health Nursing, College of Nursing, Babylon University, Babylon, Iraq S. Adham Ali 15300319475328460028461 15300319475328460028461 No Department of Adult Health Nursing, College of Nursing, Babylon University, Babylon, Iraq