ABSTRACT
In this chapter, we are going to learn more about research that involves the measurement of health and health care in a qualitative way, which means the in-depth, rich experiences of participants are unearthed through a range of philosophical approaches and methods. To tap into the deeper experiences of these participants, this will often require a great deal of time and effort and revisiting the data you collect on many occasions. Just as if you were immersing yourself into a swimming pool, qualitative approaches usually need you to ‘immerse’ yourself in the worlds of your participants and understand the world from their perspective. You will often need to be ‘kneedeep’ in plenty of transcripts from interviews you have conducted or in observations that you have made and recorded in your observation diary. Let us introduce you to what qualitative research is all about in nursing research . . .
