Affiliation:
1. Homeless Service, Cowgate Clinic, Edinburgh
Abstract
A study was carried out in 1998 to examine the reliability and validity of concept mapping, a relatively new research method. Concept maps of vulnerability produced by two groups of health visitors were compared. The results showed that the similarities in the concept maps were composed of the medical and nursing knowledge of the two groups, whereas the differences reflected the social and economic working environments of each group. Concept mapping can be seen to be a highly valid and reliable method of data collection, and is a useful evaluation tool for community nursing research.