Background <p>Compassionate care is a fundamental ethical component of nursing that significantly influences patient outcomes, satisfaction, and healthcare provider well-being. Spiritual sensitivity, reflecting a nurse’s ability to recognize and respond empathetically to patients’ spiritual needs, is increasingly recognized as a key driver of compassionate care. Despite its importance, research on the interplay between spiritual sensitivity and compassionate care, particularly within non-Western cultural contexts, remains limited.</p> Objective <p>This study aimed to investigate the relationship between spiritual sensitivity and compassionate care among nurses and to examine the influence of demographic variables on these constructs.</p> Methods <p>A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted from March to May 2024 among 132 nurses employed in three hospitals affiliated with Jahrom University of Medical Sciences, Iran. Validated Persian versions of the Spiritual Sensitivity Questionnaire and Compassionate Care Questionnaire were used for data collection. Statistical analyses included Independent T-tests, One-Way ANOVA, Pearson correlation, and regression analyses.</p> Results <p>Findings revealed that nurses displayed moderate levels of spiritual sensitivity and good levels of compassionate care. A significant moderate positive correlation was found between spiritual sensitivity and compassionate care (<i>r</i> = 0.453, <i>p</i> &lt; 0.001), with both professional and internal spiritual sensitivity dimensions significantly associated with compassionate care. Demographic factors such as gender, education level, and marital status were not significantly related to either construct. However, compassionate care increased significantly with age and work experience. Variations in spiritual sensitivity were observed across different hospital wards.</p> Conclusions <p>The study highlights the pivotal role of spiritual sensitivity in augmenting compassionate care among nurses. Targeted educational and organizational interventions to strengthen spiritual sensitivity may improve the quality of compassionate nursing care and patient outcomes. Healthcare policymakers and managers should foster supportive, spiritually nurturing work environments to enhance nurse resilience and reduce burnout, ultimately benefiting healthcare delivery.</p> Clinical trial number <p>Not applicable.</p>