Nursing: Getting Started

Qual Page: Resources for Qualitative Research

Welcome to Qual Page.

This website was launched January 1995 by Judy Norris, who is a retired professor of nursing at the University of Alberta in Canada. The original vision and history of the site can be found at the History of QualPage.

The site has many resources about qualitative research and is regularly updated. It has a broad range of news and links so that you can find a variety of information on qualitative research. Please drop by from time to time and see what's new. I hope that you enjoy navigating Qual Page.


Since 2003, I, Judith Preissle, have been managing this website. I am a professor in and coordinator of the qualitative research program at the University of Georgia, U.S.A. If you have any comments on the site or find any resources that can be added to this website, please email me at qualres@uga.edu. I appreciate your contributions to this website.

Turning Information Into Public Health

The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) is a state-based system of health surveys that collects information on health risk behaviors, preventive health practices, and health care access primarily related to chronic disease and injury. For many states, the BRFSS is the only available source of timely, accurate data on health-related behaviors.

BRFSS was established in 1984 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); currently data are collected monthly in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam. More than 350,000 adults are interviewed each year, making the BRFSS the largest telephone health survey in the world. States use BRFSS data to identify emerging health problems, establish and track health objectives, and develop and evaluate public health policies and programs. Many states also use BRFSS data to support health-related legislative efforts.

Its goals include:

¨ Providing a forum for dissemination and critique of nursing research
¨ Stimulating interest in the scientific study of nursing phenomena
¨ Linking nurses with similar research interests
¨ Promoting recognition of nursing as a scientific discipline
¨ Promoting evidence-based nursing practice
¨ Fostering ethical standards in research

Research & Funding
Extramural and Intramural research are supported by NINR. The Extramural Research Program supports the work of scientists in universities, teaching hospitals, and other organizations outside NINR. The Intramural Research Program supports scientists at NINR on the NIH campus in Bethesda, MD.
Training
NINR maintains a focus on training investigators, with an emphasis on addressing the major areas of need and increasing the diversity of the research workforce. NINR offers both individual and institutional training opportunities. Furthermore, NINR supports both Extramural (external to NIH) and Intramural (on NIH campus) research training.
News & Information
The News and Information Section of NINR's Office of Science Policy and Public Liaison serves as the focal point for public outreach and information dissemination.
About NINR
The mission of NINR is to promote and improve the health of individuals, families, communities, and populations. NINR supports and conducts clinical and basic research and research training on health and illness across the lifespan.

The Virginia Henderson International Nursing Library is the realization of Sigma Theta Tau International’s goal to offer nurses, in all roles around the globe, online access to reliable nursing information that can be easily utilized and shared. The ultimate goal is to make the library one of the most comprehensive resources for nursing information available.
Read a review of the nursing library published in the Journal of the Medical Library Association, 2006.


Through the library’s complimentary Registry of Nursing Research database, individuals have access to search study abstracts and conference abstracts. Primary investigators can be contacted for more information about how to obtain full-text versions of their study. The library is operating within an improved environment making it much easier to retrieve specific research information, and for researchers to post up-to-date research findings. The library features a streamlined submission form that will reduce posting research time, and includes contact information for principle investigators providing library users way to connect with other nurses with similar research interests.

Library Mission - Providing knowledge resources to help nurses advance patient care
The Virginia Henderson International Nursing Library is committed to providing knowledge resources to help advance nurses and patient care. The library is dedicated to bringing you the latest research on nursing knowledge that is important to all nurses – clinicians, researchers, educators, and students.

Sigma Theta Tau International's Mission - IMPROVING WORLD HEALTH THROUGH KNOWLEDGE™
In support of the honor society’s mission, the Virginia Henderson International Nursing Library is dedicated to enhancing the health of all people through knowledge development, knowledge dissemination, and knowledge utilization.

History of the Library
The resolution for the establishment of a library was presented to the honor society’s House of Delegates in 1979 by Virginia Henderson, Eleanor Herrmann, and Anne Bavier. From that time forward, the honor society’s leaders and membership were committed to developing a national nursing library resource offering services to nurses and those interested in nursing.

In 1985 Sigma Theta Tau International received a grant from Lilly Endowment, Inc. to fund activities and explore the development of a Center for Nursing Scholarship with a computerized library in Indianapolis, Indiana. Within four years, the Center was completed and dedicated because of the dedication and support the honor society received from its leaders, membership, nursing colleagues, and friends of nursing.

The dream became a reality in December 1990, when Miss Virginia Henderson gave her approval for the honor society’s electronic library to be named in her honor. The nursing resources developed for the library moved to the Internet in 1995, through funding from the Helene Fuld Health Trust.

In January 2001, library visioning meetings were held. Participants included representatives from around the world and individuals with diversified backgrounds such as research, library science, informatics, and integrated technology. Based on information received from the participants at the visioning meetings, input from library users, and advice from library consultants, a futuristic plan of action was developed, and the library resources were expanded on the World Wide Web.

The Virginia Henderson International Nursing Library Web site was re-designed in 2004 and operates within an improved environment that includes a more efficient data management system and powerful search engine.

Libguide from Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU)

Barbara Wilson and Mary-Jean (Gigi) Austria, authors

Libguide from UCLA

Libguide from DePaul University

Libguide from SUNY-Stony Brook