Lessons learned from a longitudinal qualitative family systems study

Methodological issues encountered during all phases of a longitudinal qualitative family systems study are described. This article focuses on (1) separate researchers and sites, (2) recruitment and retention of study participants, (3) data collection concerns, (4) family variances, (5) conflicting roles of nurse and researcher, and (6) family disengagement. Achieving and maintaining scientific rigor in longitudinal qualitative studies can be challenging if consistent attention is not given to issues that surface during all phases of the study. From these experiences, guidelines for researchers involved in similar studies are presented.