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Methodological issues involved in conducting qualitative research on support for nurses directly involved with women who chose to terminate their pregnancy


A Gmeiner
S Van Wyk
M Poggenpoel
C Myburgh

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to describe the methodological issues involved in conducting qualitative research to explore and describe nurses' experience of being directly involved with termination of pregnancies and developing guidelines for support for these nurses. The article points out the sensitivity and responsibility that researchers must have when engaging in qualitative research of this nature. While conducting this research, several methodological challenges were identified. Four specific challenges identified will be addressed in this paper. These are: the issue of research versus therapeutic interviewing; adhering to specific research ethics, as this was a very sensitive topic of research; dissemination of research results to make it accessible to all nurses as well as the broader community; and the operationalisation of the support guidelines in practice for nurses in need of support.


Die doel van hierdie artikel is om die metodologiese vraagstukke te beskryf rondom die uitvoer van kwalitatiewe navorsing waar verpleegkundiges se ervaring van hul direkte betrokkenheid by terminasie van swangerskap verken en beskryf is. Die artikel beklemtoon die sensitiwiteit en verantwoordelikheid wat navorsers aan die dag moet lê wanneer kwalitatiewe navorsing van hierdie aard uitgevoer word. Tydens die uitvoering van hierdie navorsing is verskeie metodologiese uitdagings geïdentifiseer. Vier van hierdie spesifieke uitdagings wat geïdentifiseer is, word in hierdie artikel aangespreek, naamlik: die vraagstuk van navorsing versus terapeutiese onderhoudvoering; voldoening aan spesifieke navorsingsetiek, aangesien die onderwerp 'n baie sensitiewe saak benader; disseminering van navorsingsresultate om dit toeganklik te maak vir alle verpleegkundiges, sowel as die breër gemeenskap; en die operasionalisering van die riglyne vir ondersteuning aan verpleegkundiges in die praktyk wat sodanige ondersteuning benodig.


Health SA Gesondheid Vol.6(4) 2003: 71-78

Journal Identifiers


eISSN: 2071-9736
print ISSN: 1025-9848