Sharing stories: narrative and dialogue in responsive nursing evaluation

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Evaluation Studies
• Qualitative Research

Background:

• Responsive evaluation offers a new framework for nursing evaluation.
• It redefines evaluation as stakeholder engagement focused on practice value, meaning, learning, and improvement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To illustrate the utility of responsive evaluation, specifically integrating narrative and dialogue.
• To explore methodological issues in applying this approach.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a case example of responsive evaluation for palliative care quality in the Netherlands.
• Employed conversational interviews to collect narratives (stories).

Main Results:

• Stories revealed the meaning and ambiguity inherent in everyday practice situations.
• Facilitating dialogue about diverse stories enhanced mutual understanding among stakeholders.

Conclusions:

• Responsive evaluation, particularly when incorporating narrative and dialogue, promotes respect, inclusiveness, and social equity.
• This approach is valuable for improving the quality of care, such as palliative care for cancer patients.