Ethnomethodological ethnography and its application in nursing

Abstract

This paper examines the use of a qualitative research methodology, ethnomethodological ethnography that has had little application within nursing, whether in the United Kingdom or elsewhere. This methodology is concerned with describing how members of a social group perceive, define and classify the ways that they perform their daily activities and what meanings they assign to these activities. Ethnomethodological ethnography analyses the everyday methods people use to construct and sustain the typical activities in their cultural world, that is, their 'sense assembly equipment'. This enables them to act in ways that are congruent with their culturally learnt attitudes. Although this paper focuses on describing ethnomethodological ethnography, examples of its use in a study of nursing practice are provided from a doctoral study that explored the everyday methods military nurses used to rationalise their post-operative pain assessment decisions. From the experiences of this study, it is argued that ethnomethodological ethnography is a valuable methodology for investigating how nurses rationalise their decisions within nursing practice. ©2008 Sage Publications.