Abstract
ABSTRACT Purpose: Appreciative inquiry (AI) studies have proven to be useful in developing nursing knowledge and changing nursing practice. However, few AI studies have examined the meaning of participation over time among collaborating healthcare providers. Our aim was to explore and illuminate healthcare providers’ participation over time in a Norwegian nursing home to develop new knowledge and practice, focusing on sensory gardens. Method: Twenty healthcare providers participated in the 3 year AI study. Data were collected in fieldwork, interviews, and interventions. Saldañas’ longitudinal analysis was applied. Results: The collaboration between the researcher and participants created insight of a relational room, which was named “the room of closeness”. Participants’ search for new arenas to apply the meaning of the room of closeness was found when focusing on the sensory garden. Their desire for joint development created a bottom–up perspective, the hallmark of successful AI. Conclusion: Knowledge of participants’ experiences may contribute to developing AI as a useful and transferable method, especially regarding co-creating participation, and may have implications for research and society. AI’s strength-based approach may, however, lead to the neglect of data that are associated with problems, and complicate the assessment of success. Further research is therefore needed to develop AI.
Highlights
Health and nursing research has shown increased interest in participatory research methods
The following three themes were found through the analysis process: (1) co-creating a new path—not just the beginning and ending; (2) shared experiences bring back both co-creation of new knowledge and the room of closeness; and (3) the room of closeness—a new domain in nursing
Participants’ practices and visions acted as compass needles in the Appreciative inquiry (AI) process, where interventions were created, planned, and implemented. Through their words and descriptions of their own experiences, new knowledge was discovered, and there was a formation of the room of closeness, which provided an additional use of the sensory garden in nursing
Summary
Health and nursing research has shown increased interest in participatory research methods. Appreciative inquiry (AI) has the potential to mobilize healthcare providers’ intentions and joint involvement in developing knowledge of sensory gardens in a nursing home setting (Magnussen, Bondas, & Alteren, 2016), and to present a unique opportunity for finding new insights in collaboration with healthcare providers, such as creating “the room of closeness” (Magnussen, Bondas, & Alteren, 2017). The inclusive nature of AI contributes to collaboration and facilitates workforce engagement that promotes changes in a healthcare context from a bottom–up perspective (Trajkovski, Schmied, Vickers, & Jackson, 2013b). AI provides a positive and new way of participating in healthcare and health research, which is often described as engagement, involvement, and inclusion (Trajkovski, Schmied, Vickers, & Jackson, 2013a), and is tied to open and trusting relationships that contribute to continuous changes (Bondas, 2009)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
