Qualitative Research Approaches Used in UK Nursing Studies: An Overview with Examples

　The purpose of this article is to provide a meaningful description of the most commonly used qualitative approaches for nursing research in the United Kingdom (UK) today in order for Japanese nurse researchers to better understand the potential value of KJ Ho internationally. But first it is necessary to understand the nature of UK nursing. In 2014 the UK Royal College of Nursing defined nursing as:

　“The use of clinical judgment in the provision of care to enable people to improve, maintain, or recover health, to cope with health problems, and to achieve the best possible quality of life, whatever their disease or disability, until death.”

　As such, this definition depicts nursing as a complex process in its intentions and interactions. Thus unsurprisingly the range of research theory underpinning nursing inquiry is similarly complex. Therefore we will start by explaining the meaning of qualitative nursing research in the UK.