Sociology

Qualitative research

Research design

Credibility

Mathematics

Social science

Knowledge management

Operating system

Statistics

Epistemology

Engineering

Nursing

Philosophy

Descriptive research

Political science

Health care

Geometry

Simplicity

Transparency (behavior)

Descriptive statistics

Computer science

Flexibility (engineering)

Nursing research

Management science

Process (computing)

Computer security

Rigour

Medicine

Journal of research in nursing

Qualitative descriptive designs are common in nursing and healthcare research due to their inherent simplicity, flexibility and utility in diverse healthcare contexts. However, the application of descriptive research is sometimes critiqued in terms of scientific rigor. Inconsistency in decision making within the research process coupled with a lack of transparency has created issues of credibility for this type of approach. It can be difficult to clearly differentiate what constitutes a descriptive research design from the range of other methodologies at the disposal of qualitative researchers.This paper provides an overview of qualitative descriptive research, orientates to the underlying philosophical perspectives and key characteristics that define this approach and identifies the implications for healthcare practice and policy.Using real-world examples from healthcare research, the paper provides insight to the practical application of descriptive research at all stages of the design process and identifies the critical elements that should be explicit when applying this approach.By adding to the existing knowledge base, this paper enhances the information available to researchers who wish to use the qualitative descriptive approach, influencing the standard of how this approach is employed in healthcare research.

An overview of the qualitative descriptive design within nursing research