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Updated: Apr 25, 2026

Using Visual and Narrative Methods to Achieve Fair Process in Clinical Care
Published on: February 16, 2011
A Narrative in Search of a Methodology
Anna Treloar1,2, Teresa Elizabeth Stone3, Margaret McMillan1
1School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia.
Purpose:
Research papers present us with the summaries of scholars' work; what we readers do not see are the struggles behind the decision to choose one methodology over another.
Design And Methods:
A student's mental health portfolio contained a narrative that led to an exploration of the most appropriate methodology for a projected study of clinical anecdotes told by nurses who work in mental health settings to undergraduates and new recruits about mental health nursing. This paper describes the process of struggle, beginning with the student's account, before posing a number of questions needing answers before the choice of the most appropriate methodology.
Findings:
We argue, after discussing the case for the use of literary analysis, discourse analysis, symbolic interactionism, hermeneutics, and narrative research, that case study research is the methodology of choice.
Practice Implications:
Case study is frequently used in educational research and is sufficiently flexible to allow for an exploration of the phenomenon.
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