ABSTRACT
Experts and their judgments are widely used in the fields of research, education, health care, law, commerce and technology. Expert judgment is known for its subjectivity and its potential for bias, which brings into question the accuracy and authenticity of judgmental data. At the same time there is acknowledgment of the valued contribution of judgmental data towards valid inferences in research and education. Maximizing the use of experts and their judgments has therefore become an endeavour of educationists and researchers alike. Since this is not a research article its purpose is to guide and assist nurse researchers with important methodological and ethical decisions when using experts. Experts must be used in the context of appropriate research methods such as the Delphi and Nominal Group techniques. Sampling of experts and sample size is determined by the type and quality of data and the availability of population data; purposive and maximum variation sampling techniques are recommended as appropriate when sampling experts. Universal research ethics must be applied with particular consideration of aspects which may influence the truth value of consensus among experts and marginalization of minority or extreme viewpoints. Quantification of judgmental data is recommended and is important to minimize bias and to increase the authenticity of research findings. The content includes: design considerations when using experts, sampling issues, ethical rules to be considered when enlisting experts and their judgments, optimal data collection approaches and managing judgmental data.
Subject(s)
Data Collection/methods , Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice , Judgment , Nursing Methodology Research/methods , Data Collection/ethics , Humans , Nursing Methodology Research/ethics , South AfricaABSTRACT
A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual study using an 'interpretive descriptive approach' was undertaken in order to develop a practice-level model for the facilitation of mental health of patients diagnosed as having Borderline Personality Disorder by the community psychiatric nurse. The context of the study was the in the Psychiatric Community Services in the greater Johannesburg region, South Africa. Individual and focus group interviews were conducted with patients and mental health clinicians representing the multidisciplinary team with experience in managing the condition, either in a personal capacity or as professional mental health practitioners. Themes extrapolated from the transcribed interviews were further explored and a practice-based theory was constructed. This article reports on the first theme 'Trust', the concept identified by both patients and clinicians as crucial for the establishment and maintenance of the therapeutic relationship that forms the vehicle for care of patients with this disorder in psychiatric mental health care.
