Hélène Durocher Course lecturer, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec
Why you should read this article:

• To learn about integrated pilot work (IPW) – an innovative approach that enhances qualitative nursing research

• To understand this reflexive tool, which you can use to adjust and refine your study while maintaining rigour and credibility

• To gain an insight into IPW through an example of its practical application in doctoral research

Background Researchers often use pilot work (PW) to address potential problems that may affect the progress of their main study. However, the methodology of PW is not well documented for novice nurse researchers. This can be challenging for those who need to make decisions based on a range of opinions.

Aim To provide an overview of using ‘integrated pilot work’ (IPW) as a reflexive tool to enhance qualitative nursing research.

Discussion This article discusses the role of PW in qualitative research, its added value and the debate surrounding it. It also introduces IPW – a new type of PW intended to be an integral part of a qualitative study’s design and conduct, rather than preliminary work conducted before the study. The author describes how she used IPW in her doctoral study and presents four significant contributions to the study that highlight its effectiveness: it challenged the author’s sampling and recruitment strategies; delimited the object she was studying; helped her to engage in conceptual reflection; and led her to understand better the research process in a doctoral study.

Conclusion IPW is an innovative approach that can make a valuable contribution to the rigour of qualitative research.

Implications for practice Qualitative researchers need to consider whether to use IPW, when they are planning and conducting a study.

Nurse Researcher. 33, 4, 18-24. doi: 10.7748/nr.2025.e1962

Peer review

This article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software

Correspondence

helene.durocher.1@umontreal.ca

Conflict of interest

None declared

Durocher H (2025) An overview of integrated pilot work as a reflexive tool to enhance qualitative research. Nurse Researcher. doi: 10.7748/nr.2025.e1962

Published online: 12 June 2025

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