Qualitative Research in Nursing and Healthcare is an invaluable resource for those who carry out qualitative research in the healthcare arena.

Table of Contents

• Preface
• About the Authors
• Acknowledgements
• Part One: Introduction to Qualitative Research: Starting Out
• 1 The Main Features and Uses of Qualitative Research
• What is qualitative research?
• The characteristics of qualitative research
• The place of theory in qualitative research
• The use of qualitative research in healthcare
• Choosing an approach for health research
• Problematic issues in qualitative research
• Conclusion
• Summary
• References
• Further Reading
• 2 The Paradigm Debate: The Place of Qualitative Research
• Theoretical frameworks and ontological position
• The paradigm debate
• Conflicting or complementary perspectives?
• Final comment
• References
• Further Reading
• 3 Initial Steps in the Research Process
• Selecting and formulating the research question
• The literature review
• Writing a research proposal
• Access and entry to the setting
• Summary
• References
• Further Reading
• 4 Ethical Issues
• The basic ethical framework for research
• Ethics in qualitative research
• Researching one's peers
• The research relationship
• Research in the researcher's workplace
• The role of research ethics committees
• Summary
• References
• Further Reading
• 5 Supervision of Qualitative Research
• The responsibilities of supervisor and student
• Writing and relationships
• Practical aspects of supervision
• Single or joint supervision
• Problems with supervision
• Summary
• References
• Further Reading
• Part Two: Data Collection and Sampling
• 6 Interviewing
• Interviews as sources of data
• The interview process
• Types of interview
• Probing, prompting and summarising
• The social context of the interview
• Unexpected outcomes: qualitative interviewing and therapy
• Length and timing of interviews
• Recording interview data
• The interviewer-participant relationship
• Problematic issues and challenges in interviewing
• Interviewing through electronic media
• Ethical issues in interviewing
• Strengths and weaknesses of interviewing
• Summary
• References
• Further Reading
• 7 Participant Observation and Documents as Sources of Data
• Participant observation
• The origins of participant observation
• Immersion in culture and setting
• Documentary sources of data
• Images as sources of data
• Summary
• References
• Further Reading
• 8 Focus Groups as Qualitative Research
• What is a focus group?
• The origin and purpose of focus groups
• Sample size and composition
• Conducting focus group interviews
• Analysing and reporting focus group data
• Advantages and limitations of focus groups
• Critical comments on focus group interviews in healthcare
• Summary
• References
• Further Reading
• 9 Sampling Strategies
• Sampling decisions
• Purposeful (or purposive) sampling
• A variety of sampling types
• Giving a label to the participants
• Summary
• References
• Further Reading
• Part Three: Approaches in Qualitative Research
• 10 Ethnography
• The development of ethnography
• Ethnographic methods
• Ethnography in healthcare
• The main features of ethnography
• Fieldwork
• Doing and writing ethnography
• Pitfalls and problems
• Summary
• References
• Further Reading
• 11 Grounded Theory
• History and origin
• The main features of grounded theory
• Data collection, theoretical sampling and analysis
• Pitfalls and problems
• Glaser's critique and further development
• Constructivist grounded theory
• Which approach for the health researcher?
• Summary
• References
• Further Reading
• 12 Narrative Inquiry
• The nature of narrative and story
• Narrative research
• Illness narratives
• Narrative interviewing
• Narrative analysis
• Problematic issues
• Conclusion
• Summary
• References
• Further Reading
• 13 Phenomenology
• Intentionality and the early stages of phenomenology
• Schools of phenomenology
• The phenomenological research process: doing phenomenology
• Phenomenology and health research
• Choice of approach: descriptive or interpretive phenomenology
• Procedures for data collection and analysis
• Summary
• References
• Further Reading
• 14 Action Research
• The origins of action research
• Action research in healthcare
• The main features of action research
• Practical steps
• Trustworthiness in AR
• Problems and critique
• Summary
• References
• Further Reading
• 15 Additional Approaches
• Case Study Research (CSR)
• Overview
• Features and purpose of case study research
• Conversation analysis
• Critical incident technique
• Discourse analysis
• Performative social science
• Summary
• References
• 16 Mixing Methods
• The nature of mixed methods studies
• Doing mixed methods research
• Types of mixed methods research
• The place and purpose of the literature
• Triangulation
• Critique of MMR
• Conclusion
• Summary
• References
• Further Reading
• Part Four: Data Analysis and Completion
• 17 Data Analysis: Procedures, Practices and Use of Computers
• Coding and categorising
• Problems of QDA
• Computer-aided analysis of qualitative data
• Summary
• References
• Further Reading
• 18 Establishing Quality: Trustworthiness and Validity
• Quality
• An alternative perspective: trustworthiness
• Strategies to ensure trustworthiness
• Quality and creativity
• Summary
• References
• Further Reading
• 19 Writing up Qualitative Research
• The research account
• Use of the first person
• The format of the report
• Introduction
• Critical assessment and evaluation
• Guide to research evaluation
• Publishing and presenting the research
• Summary
• References
• Further Reading
• Final Note
• Glossary