Using grounded theory method to capture and analyze health care experiences

Abstract

Objective : Grounded Theory (GT) is an established qualitative research method but few papers have encapsulated the benefits, limits, and basic tenets of doing GT research on user and provider experiences of healthcare services. GT can be used to guide the entire study method , or applied at the data analysis stage only. Methods: We summarize key components of GT and common GT procedures used by qualitative researchers in healthcare research. We draw on our experience of conducting a GT study on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis p atients’ experiences of healthcare services. Findings: We discuss why some approaches in GT research may work better than others, particularly when the focus of study is hard - to - reach population groups. We highlight the flexibility of procedures in GT to build theory about how people engage with healthcare services. Conclusion: GT enables researchers to capture and understand healthcare experiences. GT methods are particularly valuable when the topic of interest has not previously been studied. GT can be applied to bring structure and rigor to the analysis of qualitative data