The process of conducting qualitative grounded theory research for a doctoral thesis: Experiences and reflections

Abstract

In this article, the author offers her experiences as an example of the application of a grounded theory approach in qualitative research. She describes, in detail, her experiences of the process of collecting, analyzing, and storing data for her doctoral thesis. She focuses on the special challenges of employing a qualitative methodology to developing a conceptual framework. The substantive area in which the study took place was at a hospital-based occupational health clinic for professional artists. Various stakeholders involved in the clinic participated in in-depth individual interviews and focus groups to explore how the concept of integrative health care (IHC) is understood both in theory and in practice at the clinic.