Single subject experimentation for psychiatric nursing

Mental health nurses encounter countless opportunities to assess medication and intervention efficacy but often find themselves relying solely on descriptive case study accounts and familiar group comparison methodology. Although case studies are useful, they lack scientific rigor and group comparison designs may not be suited to certain client populations or research questions that address individual client characteristics. The purpose of this article is to describe single subject experimentation, contrast this approach with case study and group comparison designs, and discuss how this type of scientific inquiry can be incorporated in psychiatric nursing practice.