Ethnographic research study in nursing practice

This chapter is a review of ethnographic research. The aim of this paper is to have an understanding of ethnography, from historical review to clinical practice. Ethnography is a qualitative approach with origins in anthropology, which has been used in variety of nursing settings. In ethnography, researchers act as instruments, using participant observation and interviews to collect and analyze data in the fieldwork, meanwhile, they mainly focus on different cultural practices, cultural immersion and reflexivity. Ethnographers are directly involved within their study group, therefore their subjectivity may influence the objectivity of data. Transcultural nursing is considered necessary to apply in the clinical setting in order to gain new knowledge and improve patient care. In this chapter, the historical development and emergence in anthropology and nursing will be first overviewed. Then, the brief descriptions of ethnography will be introduced. The strengths, weaknesses and applications of using the ethnographic research will be discussed. Finally, the necessity of ethnography will be discussed as the conclusion.