Feminist poststructuralism: a methodological paradigm for examining clinical decision-making.
OBJECTIVE
To present the philosophical framework of feminist poststructuralism, discuss its use as an innovative research approach and its implications for nursing knowledge development and practice.


BACKGROUND
This perspective examines the construction of meaning, power relationships, and the importance of language as it affects contemporary healthcare decisions. It seeks to identify and expose biases that marginalize the healthcare needs of women and contribute to healthcare disparities for this population. Additionally, a feminist poststructuralist perspective seeks to develop new knowledge for understanding gender differences.
A feminist poststructuralist perspective represents an alternative paradigm for studying the phenomenon of clinical decision-making. An empirical application example of a feminist poststructuralist perspective is provided. This exemplar investigated emergency department registered nurses' triage decisions for men and women with symptoms suggestive of coronary heart disease.
Arslanian-Engoren
Cynthia
C
School of Nursing, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 48109-0482, USA. cmae@umich.edu
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D019513:Feminism; D006801:Humans; D009732:Nursing Care / Q000523:psychology; D011287:Prejudice; D016387:Women's Health