The Nominal Group Technique: Generating Consensus in Nursing Research.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Research Methodology
• Qualitative Research Methods

Background:

• Consensus-building is crucial in nursing research for developing reliable tools and guidelines.
• Traditional methods may not always capture diverse opinions effectively.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the Nominal Group Technique (NGT) as a consensus-generating method in nursing research.
• To illustrate NGT application using a study focused on developing a nursing student clinical placement evaluation tool.

Main Methods:

• The study employed the Nominal Group Technique, involving face-to-face meetings.
• Participants engaged in opinion exploration, idea generation, and priority setting.
• The process was adapted for developing a clinical practicum evaluation tool for nursing students.

Main Results:

• NGT facilitated creative, face-to-face discussions with minimal resource requirements.
• The technique proved beneficial for achieving consensus in the context of nursing research.
• A key limitation identified was the lack of anonymity, potentially impacting certain research investigations.

Conclusions:

• The Nominal Group Technique is a valuable approach for achieving consensus in nursing research.
• Its strengths lie in structured idea generation and prioritization.
• Researchers should consider the lack of anonymity when deciding on its applicability.