The last two decades have seen raised awareness of qualitative approaches to health care. These methods involve an understanding of human experiences and take a humanistic and holistic approach which is essential in nursing and midwifery where the focus is on caring, communication and interaction. This book provides perspectives and practical guidelines for such research in health care. A variety of qualitative research approaches are described, as well as the data collection and analyses specific to these methods. There is also consideration of the ethical issues and problems which may arise. For those who wish to extend their knowledge, there are discussions of philosophical and theoretical issues and a comprehensive list of references on qualitative research