Research methodology for nursing and health: a book review

Lacerda, MR; Costenaro, RGS. Metodologias da pesquisa para Enfermagem e Saúde: da teoria à prática. 1ed. Porto Alegre: Moriá, 2016

For those interested in nursing and health, the book entitled "Research methodology for nursing and health: from theory to practice"⁽¹⁾ was released in October 2015, at the 67^th Brazilian Congress of Nursing, sponsored by National ABEn. The interest emerged from two organizers: Dr. Maria Ribeiro Lacerda (UFPR) and Dr. Regina Gema Santini Costerano (UNIFRA). Forty-seven other authors also participated. The book is presented in three parts, with 19 chapters. The foreword was written by Dr. Josete Luzia Leite, who points out that the work includes, in pluralities and uniqueness, the morphological and technical poles of research.

In Part I: Methods of quantitative research, there are three chapters. In chapter 1, Methods of quantitative research: a practical approach, the authors present the different research designs (non-experimental, quasi-experimental and experimental) and describe 15 practical examples, including integrative and systematic literature reviews. In chapter 2, Integrative review as a tool for decision making in health practice, and chapter 3, Systematic literature review, it is clear by the features presented by the authors, for example, that only primary studies are used as sources in the two modes: quantitative, qualitative and/or mixed studies in integrative reviews; and either quantitative (meta-analysis) or qualitative (meta-synthesis) studies in systematic reviews.

In Part II: Qualitative research methods, there are eleven chapters. Four areas were identified in the chapters through a global and systemic analysis. The first area addresses the fundamentals of qualitative research; in chapter 4, Conceptual and structural outlines of qualitative research, the authors perform theoretical and methodological reflections and considerations that underlie the construction of qualitative research projects. The second area presents the fundamentals of bibliographic research; chapter 5, Narrative literature review, contains the conceptual and methodological aspects of this type of research, which uses both primary sources and others of the manual type, books, videos, websites, conference proceedings and everything that can contribute to answering questions regarding "what has been produced on a subject."

The third area focuses on the fundamentals of research carried out within the nursing scope. In chapter 7, Convergent-care research, the authors highlight the multiparadigmatic focus and social perspective of research, which aims to transform health work environments, in which the theory and practice of care approach, distance and converge, causing overlap, with accuracy and flexibility. Conceptual ties are revealed in chapter 8, Care research, as well as the method steps which, from an existential perspective, favor a genuine encounter of care in which research-theory-practice intertwine and nurse-researcher, nurse-caregiver-researcher and cared-patient come closer, join and distance themselves, in order to improve institutional practices and build nursing knowledge. Two articles that illustrate the method application complement this chapter. In chapter 9, Group care research, it is clear that in research experienced with groups in which interpersonal and intrapersonal relationships are in place, health care and research intertwine again, in order to promote health and/or educate in health. An article that exemplifies the method application complements this chapter. In chapter 12, Researching with the creative and sensitive method in nursing, the authors highlight the research assumptions: the culture circle and the art-based research, and provide epistemological and methodological foundations, and descriptions of dynamics of creativity and sensitivity.

The fourth area addresses the fundamentals of research developed within other sciences and used in nursing: chapter 6, Health research-action associated with other devices and tools; chapter 10, Exploratory and descriptive research; chapter 11, Case study research; chapter 13, The process of content collection and analysis and structure of social representations; and chapter 14, Theory based on data.

In Part III: Instruments of data collection and analysis, there are five chapters focusing on: data collection techniques; cultural adaptation and tool validation; data analysis. Chapter 15, The interview as data collection, emphasizes that the technique can be used both in quantitative and qualitative research, highlighting the types of interviews, preparation, ethical aspects, conduction, registration and analysis. Chapter 16, Focus group as a technique for data collection and analysis: theoretical and practical issues, shows that, based on interaction, the technique can promote questioning on a given subject, allowing participants to expose experiences and thoughts. The photovoice technique, described in chapter 17, is applied through data collection based on imagery as a key resource for a given study group to expose its daily life.

In chapter 18, Methodological proposal for cultural adaptation studies and validation of instruments: from theory to practice, the authors emphasize the complexity of cultural adaptation of instruments used in different loci, because content maintenance and psychometric characteristics should be maintained; however, this procedure is essential to obtain more reliable and trustworthy data. Finally, in chapter 19, Thematic-categorical content analysis: a greater technique in qualitative research, the author highlights the use of the thematic-categorical technique of content analysis highlighting key concepts, different types of content analysis, steps, procedures and valid technical application experiences for nursing students and researchers, reinforcing the importance of methodological care in order to take into account induction and deduction processes.

The book supports investigative actions in nursing and health, providing epistemological and methodological reflections. Thus, it is recommended for all those interested in nursing and health research.

REFERÊNCIA

• ¹
  Lacerda MR, Costenaro RGS (Org). Metodologias da pesquisa para Enfermagem e Saúde: da teoria à prática. 1ed. Porto Alegre: Moriá, 2016.

Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  Sep-Oct 2016

History

• Received
  10 Dec 2015
• Accepted
  31 Mar 2016