Why phenomenology is increasingly relevant to nurse researchers

When nurse researchers contemplate designing a study they spend time, or at least they should, considering the ways in which epistemological assumptions inform their choice of methodology (Polit and Beck 2012). Pratt (2012) suggests that to understand the philosophical and methodological underpinnings of a research approach takes time, effort, commitment and total immersion on the part of the researcher. Once chosen, the right methodology for framing inquiry in nursing will guide the approaches used to collect data and conduct rigorous analysis.