Abstract: Objective To explore the experiences of ICU nurses in providing humanistic care for patients and to analyze the barriers and enablers of the practice,aiming to provide a basis for improving the humanistic care quality. Methods A purposive sampling method was used to select 23 ICU nurses from three tertiary Grade A hospitals in Changsha in March and April 2023 for semi-structured in-depth interviews. The data was collected and the themes were refined using abilities,opportunities,motivations,behavioral models,and thematic analysis method. Results The practice of humanistic care by ICU nurses was influenced by three aspects：capability,opportunity and motivation. In terms of capability,the primary barriers were deficiency in humanistic care literacy,knowledge and skills. In terms of opportunity,the high workload and limited implementation of evidence-based humanistic care affected the conditions and opportunities. In terms of motivation,the major constraints were the absence of awareness and the lack of confidence. However,a strong sense of professional responsibility,positive feedback from patients and families,and a good teamwork atmosphere were facilitating factors. Conclusion To promote the process of humanistic care in ICU,it is necessary to pay attention to the needs of nurses for humanistic care concepts,knowledge and skills,to develop and implement humanistic care management norms and evaluation systems,and to create an organizational atmosphere that supports humanistic care practice,so as to improve the clinical practice of humanistic care in ICU.

Key words: Intensive Care Units, Critical Care Nursing, Humanism, Capability,Opportunity and Motivation Behaviour Model, Qualitative Research