Activity sampling in nursing

Abstract

ACTIVITY sampling is a method of direct observation which has been very widely used as a work study technique. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the development of this method for use in a study of ward and departmental staff which was carried out in 1969-1970. The methods used in observation range from direct non-participant observation behind a one-way window to full participant observation. Jahoda et al.(l) talk about structured and unstructured observation and state that: “Observation is not only one of the most pervasive activities of daily life; it is a primary tool of scientific enquiry”, because it is planned and recorded systematically and serves a formulated research purpose and can be subjected to checks and controls on validity and reliability. These are general ideas which appear in most writings about observation but it sounds very easy and does not seem to take into account how people’s natural powers of observation vary and it assumes that all observers will plan and record systematically when in fact, it is a severe discipline. They do however go on to discuss some of the problems. Young(s) is more strict in that she says “Observing must be accompanied by perceiving to be fruitful” and that “observing should be a carefully planned technique not resorting to chance, random or inconsistent procedures”. MadgetS) states that “All modern science is rooted in observation and first-hand observations are the most satisfactory”. Moserc4) supports this in his statement that “The accumulated knowledge of biologists, physicists, astronomers and other natural scientists is upon centuries of systematic observation”. But many psychological studies have shown that what we see is influenced to a great extent by what we expect to see; one has to be very careful not to make suppositions and must guard against bias. Everything that impinges on our senses conveys a meaning related to what we already know and an observer has to beware lest there is a bias in what is noted and what is discarded mentally. This is what lies behind many criticisms of nurses observing nursing. Past experience gives an outlook, a frame of reference into which