title: Practical guidance for the use of a pattern-matching technique in case-study research: a case presentation.
abstract: This paper reports on a study that demonstrates how to apply pattern matching as an analytical method in case-study research. Case-study design is appropriate for the investigation of highly-contextualized phenomena that occur within the social world. Case-study design is considered a pragmatic approach that permits employment of multiple methods and data sources in order to attain a rich understanding of the phenomenon under investigation. The findings from such multiple methods can be reconciled in case-study analysis, specifically through a pattern-matching technique. Although this technique is theoretically explained in the literature, there is scant guidance on how to apply the method practically when analyzing data. This paper demonstrates the steps taken during pattern matching in a completed case-study project that investigated the influence of cultural diversity in a multicultural nursing workforce on the quality and safety of patient care. The example highlighted in this paper contributes to the practical understanding of the pattern-matching process, and can also make a substantial contribution to case-study methods.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Health & Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia; School of Nursing, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; King Abdullah International Medical Research Centre, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Adel F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Almutairi
authors.forename: Glenn E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Gardner
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: McCarthy
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D018864:Cultural Diversity; D003625:Data Collection / Q000379:methods*; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D006801:Humans; D015399:Nursing Research / Q000379:methods*; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000592:standards; D061214:Patient Safety / Q000592:standards; D010363:Pattern Recognition, Automated; D057184:Practice Patterns, Nurses' / Q000592:standards; D011787:Quality of Health Care / Q000592:standards*; D012107:Research Design; D012529:Saudi Arabia
keywords: analytical method; case study; cultural diversity; multicultural nursing workforce; pattern matching