Erbil j. nurs. midwifery, Vol. 1, No. (2), 2018 

 

The Significance of Qualitative Research in Nursing Practice   
 

Dara Abdulla Al-Banna; Assistant Editor, Assistant Lecturer of Adult Nursing, Nursing Department, College of Nursing, 
Hawler Medical University, Erbil, Iraq.  dara.albanna@hmu.edu.krd 

49 

      According to the World Health Organi-
zation, qualitative research aims to explore 
people’s needs, values, perceptions and 
experiences of the world around them, in-
cluding of health, illness, healthcare ser-
vices, and more broadly of social systems 
and their policies and processes. Qualita-
tive evidence is very important for under-
standing on how, and whether, people per-
ceive health interventions to be effective 
and acceptable or more fundamentally, 
whether they work. Qualitative evidence is 
also essential to understanding the factors 
effecting the application of health policies 
and interventions. 
 
In recent years, most of the healthcare in-
stitution and organizations have shifted 
their focus to a patient-centered model in 
which patients are involved in decision-
making and their preferences are honored. 
Qualitative research has an important role 
in nursing science and is becoming well 
recognized. Qualitative studies are also 
used to gain novel information, meaning, 
views, more understanding, and insights of 
the concepts on previous definitions of 
nursing care theories, natural phenomena, 
specific groups, individuals, health issues, 
dilemmas, or experiences. 
 
Qualitative research in nursing science 
deals with the lived experiences of patients 
and nurses in different filed in providing of 
health care and services for achieving     
favorable patient outcomes. 

      The high way for getting information 
regarding patients’ and families’ perspec-
tives is to ask, listen, and learn from them 
to increase the delivery of health care      
services.  
 
Findings of the qualitative studies can 
guide nurses in assessing, planning, imple-
mentation, and evaluation during the    
process of nursing care for meeting         
patients’ needs. 
 
Clinical Nurse can utilize the findings of the 
qualitative research as evidence for        
improving nursing practice.  Finally, the  
patients' needs of psychological, spiritual, 
emotional and social aspects are not fully 
satisfied, qualitative interviews and obser-
vation methods could increase the rate of 
agreement and make positive perceptions 
and attitude environment about the     
nursing care for patients and family. 

 
       
 

Erbil Journal of Nursing & Midwifery 

“Qualitative research is multimethod in 
focus, involving an interpretive, naturalistic 
approach to its subject matter. This means 
that qualitative researchers study things in 
their natural settings, attempting to make 
sense of, or interpret, phenomena in terms 
of the meanings people bring to them”. 

 Denzin and Lincoln.  

Editorial