The scale of this project and the method of counting interactions have their limitations and advantages. Triangulating the results with interviews would increase the validity of the study and confirm data which would be applicable to wider practice. The study has helped nurses in the unit to re-assess their perceptions about the nature of interaction in their clinical work. As a team we are aware that we do not perhaps interact as much as we originally thought. The results highlight the importance of power, rituals and culture in nurse-patient interactions, and support the argument that as nurses continue to strive as advocates and care partners, the nature of their interaction will continue to be in question.
Future research needs to address issues of power and interaction.
Such work should concentrate on a methodology which could measure the type and quality of the interaction as well as the quantify. Qualitative Research Methods Series 2. Thousand Oaks CA, Sage Publications. Cambridge MA, Cambridge University Press. Qualitative Health Research.