This study is a reflection upon action-research, carried out through exhaustive literature, graduate thesis, and dissertation review, which point to a new methodological possibility in nursing research. There are some divergences about the applicability of the majority of these studies in practice, due to the researcher's detachment from the studied reality. However, in action-research, there is his/her insertion into the data collection field. Action-research can and must be used in health care, especially nursing, in questions in which there is collective interest for problem solving in order to mobilize professionals towards a critical and reflective practice. Among the shortcomings of this kind of research, the prolonged time in obtaining results and maintaining researcher impartiality in developing all the research steps can be cited. The utilization of adequate methodological references for nursing practice is extremely important for the development of this area.
Nursing; Research; Methodology