Do not disturb - research in progress: the challenges of observing in a familiar clinical setting

Do not disturb - research in progress: the challenges of observing in a familiar clinical setting

This paper will report on the use of observation in a study that focused on the practice of administration of medication as a component of nursing care as guided by a set of standardised rules. The research was epistemologically located within an Interpretive Phenomenology framework. Observation, as a method of inquiry provides the 'on-looker' with closeness to the situation that may otherwise have been unavailable. During this study the researcher proposed a non-participant observation method to avoid interaction between the researcher and participants. However, there were times when engagement with the nurse, healthcare team or patients was unavoidable. This unexpected and uninvited contact impacted on the data collection. This paper presents the experience of the novice researcher and outlines the strategies used to gather data in patient care contexts where interruptions and distractions are unavoidable. The experience gained demonstrates the serendipity of surprise research journeys into nursing practice that qualitative approaches can offer.

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