Qualitative Research: The Optimal Scholarly Means of Understanding the Patient Experience

Like other health disciplines, nursing is striving to meet the challenge of becoming increasingly research focused and evidence driven. The importance of a strong evidence base is undeniable, and in mental health nursing we have seen the development of a robust and dynamic discourse on research methodologies and vigorous discussion on themerits and weaknesses of the various research paradigms. Consumers and their experiences of care are (rightfully) central to much nursing research—it is critical to capture the consumer perspective and, where possible, involve consumers in research projects (Horsfall, Cleary, Walter, & Hunt, 2007). In this column, we aim to highlight the value of qualitative research in capturing first person accounts of people living with mental illness. After describing the high level skills required of the interviewer, we then broadly explore how consumers could be integrated into research teams.