Much of the practice of nursing continues to be based on tacit rather than explicit knowledge, with children’s nursing practice worldwide nuanced by local cultures of caring. The development of Afrocentric nursing practice models and tools challenges researchers to find methods which enable promising local practices to be identified and described. Visual research methods are an emerging approach within nursing and health research. However, detailed accounts of the implementation of these methods in clinical nursing settings are scarce. Visual methods (graphic facilitation, sociograms, and photographic elicitation) formed a core part of the data collection strategy for a qualitative observational study of nursing practices in relation to the involvement of families in the care of their hospitalized children in Southern Africa. We draw on this experience to provide a detailed account of the implementation of these methods and reflect on their effectiveness. Practical suggestions for using visual methods applicable to a variety of clinical nursing settings are offered based on implementation experience. We advocate that the use of these methods within the context of health research requires better anticipation of specific ethical considerations. We conclude that visual methods can contribute usefully to the development of new models of nursing practice, with strengths that include helping to anchor dialogue, supporting the articulation of conceptually rich practice narratives and explanations, and acting as a useful adjunct to communication between nurses and researchers.
Making Children’s Nursing Practices Visible: Using Visual and Participatory Techniques to Describe Family Involvement in the Care of Hospitalized Children in Southern African Settings
