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Residents’
perspectives
What are the
issues from
observations?
Residential Care
“Typical”
Resident Autonomy
Family
perspectives
99
Chapter 3 Research Framework
Figure 3.2: The single embedded case study: Exploring autonomy for older
people in residential care
3.5.1 Use of Case Study Research in Nursing Research
Luck, Jackson and Usher (2006) stated that the case study approach is particularly
suited to nursing research because of its ability to maintain a balance between the
rigidity of methodologies and the practicalities of “real-life” settings. Luck, Jackson
and Usher (2006) explained that the conduct of case studies may differ according to
the context in which they are carried out.
Staff
perspectives
Staff and resident
profiles, rosters,
philosophy of care,
etc.
What are the issues in
the documents?
The adoption of a case study approach for this research study is supported by
examples from other research studies that also adopted a case study approach in
order to understand various phenomena related to older people. Payne et al. (2007)
reflected upon three multiple embedded case studies on end-of-life and bereavement.
The “case” was the service or healthcare unit. The principal methods of data
collection were interviews, observations and documentary data analysis. It was
concluded that case study methods may be empowering for participants because they