Methodological considerations for grounded theory research in critical care settings

Area of Science:

• Nursing Research
• Qualitative Methods
• Critical Care Medicine

Background:

• Critical illness and critical care environments provide significant opportunities for nursing research.
• Naturalistic inquiry using grounded theory can reveal complex interactions in critical care.
• This article addresses methodological considerations for grounded theory in complex critical care settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present methodological considerations for conducting grounded theory research in critical care.
• To explore barriers and strategies for applying grounded theory in intensive care units.
• To provide practical context based on author experiences in medical and surgical intensive care units.

Main Methods:

• Review and analysis of existing grounded theory research in adult critical care.
• Examination of literature on grounded theory methodologies.
• Incorporation of practical experiences from intensive care unit settings.

Main Results:

• Identified barriers include communication impairments, participant attrition, and observational difficulties.
• Discussed specific methodological strategies and data sources relevant to critical care.
• Emphasized the need to rigorously pursue diverse data sources in critical care settings.

Conclusions:

• Future research should integrate physiological and technological data into social process analysis in critical care.
• Technology must be considered a key component of nurse-patient interactions in critical care research.
• Addressing these aspects is crucial given current healthcare trends and demographics.