<p>Aim To describe the development of a proposed case study protocol investigating interprofessional relationships in a rapid response system (RRS) in a socioculturally complex clinical environment.</p> <p>Background Suboptimal care of deteriorating ward patients remains a concern for many acute healthcare organisations. Despite the advent of RRSs, emergency response teams are not always used to their full potential. How and why interprofessional relationships influence practices associated with the care and management of ward patients at risk of clinical deterioration requires investigation.</p> <p>Data sources Theoretical and empirical literature describing case study research and RRSs.</p> <p>Review methods An integrative review approach of the literature, focusing on key terms relating to ‘case study research’ and ‘rapid response system’, provided context and informed development of the study protocol.</p> <p>Discussion A single-site mixed-method instrumental case study protocol was developed using methodological triangulation and a multi-level model to examine interprofessional relationships between a broad range of stakeholders. Concurrent data collection and analysis will occur using document review of clinical scenarios, non-participant observations and semi-structured interviews.</p> <p>Conclusion Case study research is an effective method for investigating socioculturally complex clinical environments. A strength of this approach is the flexibility in the choice of methods, which allows the researcher to build the design most suitable for the subjects or phenomena being investigated. Although this flexibility may be considered a potential weakness, rigour can be achieved by application of the strategies described.</p> <p>Implications for research/practice Findings from this research will provide rich descriptive insights into RRS relationships and healthcare professional practices during day-to-day management of acute ward patients at risk of or experiencing clinical deterioration. Description of this structured case study research approach will also inform other researchers.</p>

<p>Aim To highlight issues and challenges faced in recruitment and interviewing during a study that sought to explore the transition of nurses into academic life and the associated ethical implications.</p> <p>Background This paper explores the challenges faced in conducting research where the potential participants are peers and workplace colleagues. There are advantages when conducting research with those among whom a pre-existing relationship is shared. However, difficulties can also arise.</p> <p>Review methods A methodological review was undertaken. Key database searches included CINAHL, MEDLINE, PubMed, Scopus and Google Scholar using the keywords as search terms. Studies were included if they described in detail issues surrounding qualitative interviewing of peers and colleagues.</p> <p>Discussion Management of the issues involved is discussed, with emphasis on boundaries, trust and rapport, the use of self-disclosure and maintaining confidentiality.</p> <p>Conclusion Research involving peers and colleagues has received relatively little consideration in the literature. There are difficulties associated with interviewing participants with whom the researcher has a pre-existing and ongoing relationship in the same organisation. To ensure ethical conduct, strategies can be used to mitigate negative situations such as issues surrounding dual roles, practising reflexivity, trust and rapport, self-disclosure and confidentiality.</p> <p>Implications for research/practice It is imperative that dual roles are declared and acknowledged. Researchers need to be mindful of the difficulties that may occur and prioritise participants’ confidentiality and privacy.</p>

<p>Aim To describe the challenges related to being an ‘insider’ researcher in a study that uses a feminist-informed storytelling research design and to discuss practical strategies to manage these challenges.</p> <p>Background The positioning of the researcher in qualitative research has numerous methodological implications. Often, qualitative researchers share similar experiences or characteristics with their participants. Such an ‘insider’ position provides challenges for the researcher in conducting the research. Understanding these challenges and planning how to manage them is beneficial for the researcher and for the conduct of the project.</p> <p>Data sources This paper is based on the research team’s experience of undertaking a feminist-informed storytelling study exploring the experiences of Australian women providing long-term foster care.</p> <p>Review methods This paper provides a discussion of the methodology used in the investigation.</p> <p>Discussion Four challenges resulting from the insider status of the primary researcher were identified as affecting the research: assumed understanding, ensuring analytic objectivity, dealing with emotions and participants’ expectations. Strategies to address these challenges include: ‘participant probing’, ‘researcher reflexivity’, review by an ‘outsider’ researcher, identifying the risk, debriefing, making the aims and use of study outcomes clear, and acknowledging participants’ expectations. Methods to implement these strategies are described.</p> <p>Conclusion The use of an insider researcher was beneficial to our study design and helped with recruitment and rapport, enabling collaboration and the generation of stories rich in content. By identifying the challenges associated with insider research and using strategies to mitigate them, researchers can effectively use an insider position in conjunction with a storytelling research design.</p> <p>Implications for future research/practice Further investigation of the insider in different qualitative research designs would be useful in identifying challenges and benefits specific to those designs.</p>

<p>Aim To identify characteristics of enabling and disabling research cultures.</p> <p>Background ‘Research culture’ is a term that is taken for granted and seldom defined. However, the need for an enabling and sustaining culture for conducting research is emphasised in nursing and other disciplines. The characteristics of this culture have been suggested but no empirical research has apparently been conducted.</p> <p>Data sources Experienced interdisciplinary researchers (n=72) responded to a qualitative questionnaire to determine the key characteristics of a positive and enabling research culture.</p> <p>Data collection A descriptive survey was used. It consisted of four questions asking participants to define research culture and name three characteristics of a ‘good’ research culture and describe situations of good and bad research cultures in their workplace.</p> <p>Discussion Analysis revealed ‘environment’ to be the key construct associated with an enabling research culture.</p> <p>Conclusion An enabling research culture is an environment characterised by: research productivity, positive collegial relationships, inclusivity, non-competitiveness, and effective research processes and training. The authors’ findings resonate with and provide empirical support for previous literature highlighting the importance of community and collegial relationships to research productivity.</p> <p>Implications for research/practice Nurses, whether researchers, administrators, teachers or clinicians, should work together to foster collegial relationships and partnerships to assist in the creation of positive and enabling research cultures in all settings.</p>

<p>Aim To explore how reciprocity is achieved through a method of self-disclosure, namely story sharing.</p> <p>Background Self-disclosure through story sharing promotes trusting relationships between researchers and participants that support the collection of high quality data, particularly when participants are members of a marginalised group and may feel especially vulnerable when sharing sensitive information.</p> <p>Data sources A qualitative study that examined the experiences of lesbian mothers.</p> <p>Review methods Strategies were carefully and deliberately implemented to engage in story sharing with the participants.</p> <p>Discussion Participants said that it made a positive difference to how safe and comfortable they felt once they knew at least some of the researcher’s story.</p> <p>Conclusion The collection of rich data is improved by using story sharing as a means of establishing reciprocity in qualitative research.</p> <p>Implications for practice/research Story sharing has the potential to improve the quality of the data collected in qualitative studies. However, strategies that promote the emotional safety of the researcher in this context will need further exploration.</p>

<p>Aims To identify the challenges associated with using journaling as a method of data collection and to offer strategies for effectively managing those challenges.</p> <p>Background While journaling can be used for a variety of reasons, in the context of this paper, journaling refers to the process of participants sharing thoughts, ideas, feelings and experiences through writing and/or other media. Journaling is used in phenomenological research studies to record participant experiences in their natural contexts.</p> <p>Data sources The findings are based on the experiences of the researchers during a qualitative study that explored the experiences of lesbian mothers and used journaling as one method of data collection.</p> <p>Review methods This is a methodological paper.</p> <p>Discussion Three main challenges affect journaling as a method of data collection: poor participation, feeling exposed and staying on track. Six strategies to promote participation in journaling are: coaching participants, limiting the journaling period, providing follow-up contact, promoting comfort, ensuring safety and providing clear content expectations. Each strategy is discussed and methods of implementing the strategies are offered.</p> <p>Conclusion Journaling as a method of data collection has long been accepted as a valid method of accessing rich qualitative data. By acknowledging the common challenges associated with the process of journaling that are experienced by the participants, researchers employing this data collection method can promote constructive and valuable participation.</p> <p>Implications for future research Further research examining participants’ experiences of journaling as a method of qualitative data collection would be useful in determining challenges, barriers and benefits of the method.</p>

<p>Aim This paper explores the challenges of interviewing people about sensitive topics. It uses existing literature and the first author’s experience of interviewing women traumatised by having an emergency hysterectomy following a severe postpartum haemorrhage. It also highlights the strategies that can assist interviews.</p> <p>Background Interviewing participants about sensitive topics requires skill and special techniques. Certain research topics have the potential to cause participants and researchers distress and discomfort. Identifying ways to prevent vicarious traumatisation and researcher burnout is imperative to the integrity of the research.</p> <p>Data sources Twenty one Australian women took part in in-depth, tape-recorded, face-to-face, email, internet and telephone interviews.</p> <p>Review methods This is a methodology paper on the first author’s experience of interviewing women on potentially sensitive topics.</p> <p>Conclusion Some participants may find telling their stories to be cathartic, providing them with a sense of relief. Implementing techniques that may be helpful in initiating the interview process can be challenging.</p>

<p>This article describes the development and tests the reliability and validity of a new survey instrument, the Child-to-Mother Violence Scale (CMVS). This instrument was devised specifically to measure data regarding the incidence, perpetrators, targets, experiences and influences on child-to-mother violence as the first phase of a larger study that investigated child-to-mother violence in the western suburbs of Sydney, Australia.</p>

<p>Violence against nurses is an on-going issue in healthcare settings, and is regularly documented in the literature. Assessing the potential for violence against nurses in the emergency department is essential to maintain their safety. The aim of this study was to develop a violence assessment tool by refining a list of predictive cues identified from both a previous study and existing literature. Using the Delphi technique, a panel of 11 expert nurse academics and clinicians developed a 37-item questionnaire and used three rounds of Delphi to refine the violence assessment questionnaire. The resulting tool comprises 17 cues of potential violence that can be easily observed and requires no prior knowledge of the perpetrators’ medical history</p>

Stories convey values and emotions, and can reveal the differences and similarities between people’s experiences. Elucidating personal stories involves sharing which can help form bonds and supportive networks. With reflection, these can help to develop resilience. While the literature recognises the potential cathartic and therapeutic benefits associated with storytelling in research, links between the development of personal resilience and storytelling for research purposes have not been drawn. This paper argues that storytelling aids the development of personal resilience and provides opportunities to celebrate the hardiness of research participants who contribute to knowledge by recounting their stories of difficulty and adversity.

<p>Over the last decade, there has been growing recognition that bullying is a pervasive feature of most, if not all, workplaces. Although single acts of aggression or harassment occur in the workplace, bullying is differentiated as a form of repeated behaviour that occurs over time (Einarsen 1999).</p>