How case-study research can help to explain implementation of the nurse practitioner role

Area of Science:

• Nursing Research
• Qualitative Methodology

Background:

• The nurse practitioner (NP) role is a recent addition to Canadian healthcare.
• British Columbia was one of the last Canadian provinces to implement the NP role.
• Existing literature lacked detailed explanations of case-study methodologies for NP role implementation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To elucidate the application of case-study research in explaining the implementation of the nurse practitioner role.
• To provide a methodological overview of case-study research.
• To illustrate these methods with examples from a specific provincial case study.

Main Methods:

• Employed an explanatory, single case study design.
• Utilized embedded units of analysis following Yin's (2009) case-study research framework.
• Data collection involved participant interviews and a comprehensive document review.

Main Results:

• The case study successfully detailed the implementation process of the nurse practitioner role in British Columbia.
• The research provides practical examples of applying case-study methodology in nursing research.

Conclusions:

• Case-study research is well-suited for exploring complex phenomena within nursing practice.
• This methodology allows researchers to conduct in-depth investigations within the natural context of practice.
• The findings highlight the value of case studies for nurse researchers seeking to understand real-world healthcare settings.