title: Life history: a qualitative method of research.
abstract: The life-history method of qualitative research is an alternative to empirical methods for identifying and documenting health patterns of individuals and groups. It allows the nurse researcher to explore a person's microhistorical (individual) experiences within a macrohistorical (history of the time) framework. Life-history information challenges the nurse to understand an individual's current attitudes and behaviours and how they may have been influenced by initial decisions made at another time and in another place. This paper describes a new direction in nursing research and identifies specific steps for using the life-history approach.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City 66103.
authors.forename: J N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Hagemaster
mesh_terms: D001325:Autobiographies as Topic; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D008487:Medical History Taking; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D015203:Reproducibility of Results