The qualitative descriptive approach results in a summary in everyday, factual language that facilitates understanding of a selected phenomenon across disciplines of health science researchers.
There is a growing acceptance of the utility of mixed methods in health sciences but there is no widely accepted set of ideas in regard to use of a conceptual or theoretical framework to guide inquiry. Few mixed methods health science articles report the use of such a framework. Lack of available conceptual maps provided by theoretical frameworks, necessary intricacy of design, and the qualitative “black box” tradition all contribute to a dearth of methodological guidance in such studies. This article uses a funded National Institutes of Health study as an example to explain the utility of a theoretical framework in conceptualizing a study, making design decisions such as sampling and recruitment, collecting and analyzing data, and data interpretation.
Given the small testing groups, pilot project results must be interpreted with caution, but with additional research and instructional development, the tool kit could be useful to nurses in a variety of settings and locales.
After additional testing, the intervention could be used to enhance storytelling groups for patients with cancer or for individuals who are uncomfortable in or do not have access to storytelling groups.
Food that reflects our family backgrounds is a source of comfort that can play an important part in recovery from illness or adaptation to the nursing home, especially for older individuals. However, no studies could be found that explored residents' perspectives on how their food and food service preferences are, or are not, met in nursing homes. This exploratory qualitative study examined dietary preferences acquired during the course of a lifetime, and the meaning of mealtimes to 20 nursing home residents, and attempted to connect that meaning with their social world. Exploring the meaning of food and food service to nursing home residents could furnish insights for improving nutritional status, adaptation to the nursing home, and quality of life through promotion of individualized nutritional care.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.