ABSTRACT
Objective
to reflect on different conceptual analysis methods used in nursing.
Method
The methods were identified with the criteria: level of detail, distinctions with other proposals and use in nursing studies. It was elaborated a chart with eight methods of concept analysis, in synthesizing them, analyzing them and highlighting their central aspects.
Results
Two ‘lines’ of analysis methodologies were identified. The first one is structured, with objective and not very flexible steps. The second, in turn, makes the research path more flexible, which is built/modified in the process.
Conclusion and implication for practice
Conceptual analysis is useful to assess how a concept has been used in nursing, what changes are processed with its use over time, to which situations it applies. The choice for a method depends on the level of development of the concept, reinforcing the proposition that there is a gradation, that is, there are concepts already being widely used by nursing and others that are appearing in the discipline's speeches and texts.
Keywords:
Concept formation; Nursing; Nursing research; Nursing Theory