An overview of the qualitative descriptive design within nursing research Louise Doyle Associate Professor in Mental Health Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland Catherine McCabe Associate Professor in General Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland Brian Keogh Assistant Professor in Mental Health Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland Annemarie Brady Chair of Nursing and Chronic Illness, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland Margaret McCann Assistant Professor in General Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland Abstract Background: Qualitative descriptive designs are common in nursing and healthcare research due to their inherent simplicity, flexibility and utility in diverse healthcare contexts. However, the application of descriptive research is sometimes critiqued in terms of scientific rigor. Inconsistency in decision making within the research process coupled with a lack of transparency has created issues of credibility for this type of approach. It can be difficult to clearly differentiate what constitutes a descriptive research design from the range of other methodologies at the disposal of qualitative researchers.
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