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Abstract
This is the fifth in a series of articles to help readers increase their knowledge, and in the process, enhance their skill and confidence in appraising, synthesizing, interpreting, and ultimately, deciding if a given piece of evidence should be incorporated into practice. This article provides an overview of qualitative research designs.
Key Words
Evidence-based practice, critical appraisal, research design, qualitative.
Phenomenology, thematic analysis, grounded theory, content analysis, ethnography, metasynthesis. Welcome to the world of qualitative research! All of the terms listed are associated with qualitative research, and can be confusing, difficult to embrace, and overwhelming, especially to the nurse who is novice to research or unsure of their foundational research knowledge. Some may perceive qualitative research as abstract, unclear, and less concrete than quantitative research, leaving them hesitant to launch or participate in a qualitative study. Exploring the meaning and providing a deeper understanding of the phenomena of interest can be overwhelming, especially for the novice researcher who may not be comfortable with the cognitive challenges or intense intellectual labor that is needed, particularly during qualitative analysis (Kalman, 2019).
The stage I have set may sound daunting and challenging. But do not back away. Revisiting and understanding the qualitative landscape will help in reading, understanding, and conducting qualitative research. Qualitative research is exciting and captivating, especially when new or added meaning is discovered and brings to light the issue or phenomena of interest. Have you ever wondered about how to better prepare men to live with a urinary catheter long-term while living at home alone? What about ways to minimize a womens urinary discomfort post-childbirth? Or is there a better way to provide care for the older adult who is experiencing incontinence during inpatient rehabilitation? And how can parents help their school-age child who has repeated episodes of enuresis?
In nursing, we learn a great deal about the logistics of providing the best evidence-based practice, and we offer effective education on many tasks, ranging from teaching a patient or caregiver how to perform catheter care to teaching about administering medications. Yet how many times have we found the process of providing the best care does not always work for the patient or family. Sometimes concrete, prescribed steps do not clearly lead to a...