Ethnography and Health Care: Focus on Nursing

Abstract

Ethnography is one of the oldest forms of qualitative social research. It is a research methodology suited to the exploration of cultures, and is usually the chosen method for anthropological investigation. This paper will provide a brief background to ethnography, and will discuss the method in the light of current healthcare research, focusing on HIV. The discussion will emphasise the value of ethnographic findings in the field of healthcare, as a tool that provides the means for gathering insights into the cultural perception of health and illness, and an explanation of knowledge, attitudes and behaviour of health care workers. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs000172

Keywords

• ethnography
• anthropology
• nursing
• health care
• qualitative research