A method for pattern recognition.

Although pattern is a dominant concept in nursing science, only Newman's method for recognizing pattern has been fully articulated and widely used in research about the human health experience. This article proposes an alternative, less costly method to facilitate research with larger numbers of participants in clinical settings. Cluster analysis, a quasi-quantitative technique, and content analysis were combined to produce a technique for recognizing patterns of person-environment interaction. Results from two studies with persons experiencing a highly variable chronic illness, rheumatoid arthritis, indicated that this new approach identifies distinct common patterns of person-environment interaction. Sufficient detail about the nature of each pattern resulted to facilitate further knowledge development about the health experience and to provide guidance in structuring nursing care. Keywords: method; cluster analysis; content analysis; person-environment interaction Nursing investigations of the concept pattern have increased during the past 15 years. One avenue of research has focused on studying persons experiencing a specific chronic disease (Jonsdottir, 1988; Lamendola & Newman, 1994; Moch, 1990; Newman & Moch, 1991). The goal of these studies was to identify differences and commonalities in the participants' interactions and then use the findings to construct a profile or common pattern (Newman, 1994). Newman's method of pattern recognition was used in these studies and has expanded nursing knowledge of the nature of health among those living with chronic illness as well as the nature of research as praxis (Newman, 1995). Because her method is time intensive and not easily implemented with large numbers of study participants, a different method capable of analyzing data frommany persons would be beneficial for research in practice settings. The purposes of this article are to describe such a method and to provide an example of how it has been implemented. The article begins with an overview of current perspectives on pattern recognition in nursing and then presents a new perspective from which the proposed method was developed. The method is presented in two parts, pattern identification and pattern interpretation. Each part includes an illustration of the method as used in a research project. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications of the method for clinical research and practice. PERSPECTIVES ON PATTERN RECOGNITION IN NURSING SCIENCE Investigations of pattern have been conducted from different perspectives. The first examines person-environment interactions at a microlevel: the relationships among biological, psychological and/or social variables and one or more symptoms or health behaviors, such as pain, depression, disability (Clough, 1991; Downe- WamboldtM Dwyer, 1997; Zautra, Burleson, Matt, Roth,B Antonak & Livneh, 1995; Folkman & Lazarus, 1988; Parker et al., 1991). A different perspective focuses on characteristics of the whole person because it assumes that the person is a unitary field identified by its unique pattern of interaction with the larger environmental field (Newman, 1987, 1994; Rogers, 1970). …