Relevant data has to come from appropriate sources for every evidence-based solution. Qualitative research enables medical personnel to explore their and their patients’ experiences, analyze them through proper techniques, and generate a feasible path forward. The article by Halberg et al. relies on this type of information and portrays a perspective that can shed light onto an otherwise challenging problem. Halberg et al. (2021) explain how nurses were affected by a hero narrative through their “experiences, conversations, thoughts, and reflections” (p. 2431). Qualitative research enables scientists to perceive the specifics involved in each patient case and combine these factors together for the betterment of public well-being.
The selected article is focused on data collected from employees’ descriptions of real-life situations, making it a solid evidential source. Its results have the potential to change public perceptions of nursing as a job, as people may strain the industry through excessive praise and overblown expectations (Halberg et al., 2021). This particular study gives nurses an opportunity to improve their well-being by shifting public opinions regarding their profession via media outlets and hospital policies. I believe that this article portrays a social environment that became widespread during the COVID-19 pandemic and may reduce burnout among medical personnel. I agree that the psychological pressure that comes from such a depiction is detrimental for employees, as they are forced to uphold their newfound status or demoralize patients. The application of quantitative data is crucial for such an issue, as it is challenging to reflect the impact of positive affirmations on a hospital’s performance through numbers.
Healthcare settings can not rely on qualitative research alone, as there is a need to develop guidelines for large-scale systems. Indeed, the nursing practice requires a personalized approach, as each patient and employee present a unique case that has to be solved with evidence-based interventions. However, a structured study is more reliable and covers a greater portion of the affected population. The analyzed article highlights this notion by revealing that limitations regarding its findings stem from a single ward, which makes it challenging for other facilities to extrapolate the outcomes to their environment (Halberg et al., 2021). Such studies have to have focus groups that inhibit the range of application of their findings further, making them not only setting-specific but region-specific as well.
Moreover, another barrier that may come from this type of examination is the subjectivity of its interpretation. Authors process information through their personal lens of worldviews, which may lead to vastly different assumptions made by specialists from the same data sample. Therefore, comprehension of the subject discussed in such a study is affected by personal factors, creating a challenging value proposition for people who do not share the same ideas.
In conclusion, qualitative research enables professionals to depict a particular situation in a small setting which may be applicable to other particular cases, although this method lacks generalizability. However, such findings can help create new policies and techniques, albeit on a diminished scale. They define unique factors influencing a portion of the population and enable nurses to come to otherwise imperceivable conclusions. In the example of the article by Halberg et al., it is possible to trace how personal experiences can generate evidence-based solutions. I believe that this approach provides a perspective that is essential for a setting that relies heavily on social interactions.
Reference
Halberg, N., Jensen, P. S., & Larsen, T. S. (2021). We are not heroes —The flipside of the hero narrative amidst the COVID19‐pandemic: A Danish hospital ethnography. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 77(5), 2429-2436. Web.