Revisiting Data: Secondary Analysis of Qualitative Data Exploring New Public Management and Nursing Relationships in the NHS

Abstract

This case study addresses some of the challenges and opportunities of revisiting data for a new purpose. In 2011, data was collected for a PhD, which aimed to explore the impact of new public management and nursing relationships in the NHS. This was analysed and written up for a PhD thesis. However, only a proportion of the collected data made it into the final cut of the PhD. Within a PhD it is important to have a clear narrative and so it is likely that aspects of the data will be discarded or left until later. Several years after PhD completion, in response to new research concerns, the data was revisited with a view to further analysis in order to reveal possible new and previously hidden insights. This case study takes you step by step through the process used to do this, and highlights key points for decision-making to ensure rigour in this retrospective analysis.