Paediatrics nurses measuring the impact of care: how can the use of mixed methods help?

This research methods paper illustrates how the use of mixed methods, across four paediatric environments, provided an expanded knowledge base that enhanced understanding of complex situations and improved care.

Aim - To demonstrate the value of using mixed methods in paediatric nursing research projects.

Methods - The methodological approach used in four paediatric nursing research studies are described to demonstrate mixed methods use in healthcare, as well as the versatility of its application.

Results - The four mixed methods studies described in this article include parents’ inappropriate use of emergency services for their children, high noise levels in NICU wards, the implementation of ISBAR (Identify, Situation, Background, Assessment and Recommendation) for ward handovers in a paediatric setting, and the evaluation of an embedded clinic for children living in homelessness. These four practical examples regarding the use of mixed methods are provided to demonstrate the use of sequential or concurrent methods of data collection and analysis for practice change.

Conclusion - The use of mixed methods provides an ideal research approach to conduct nursing research in a paediatric setting.