Q methodology: relevance and application to nursing research

Q methodology is a unique research tradition with an epistemology and technique that is much more than the Q-sort form of instrumentation used to gather data. Developed to explore and understand the richness of human subjectivity, Q methodology, with its emphasis on the individual, is relevant to many substantive areas of scientific inquiry within nursing. This article presents an overview of the technique and delineates special considerations for implementing Q methodological investigations.