A qualitative description design is particularly relevant where information is required directly from those experiencing the phenomenon under investigation and where time and resources are limited. Nurses and midwives often have clinical questions suitable to a qualitative approach but little time to develop an exhaustive comprehension of qualitative methodological approaches. Qualitative description research is sometimes considered a less sophisticated approach for epistemological reasons. Another challenge when considering qualitative description design is differentiating qualitative description from other qualitative approaches. This article provides a systematic and robust journey through the philosophical, ontological, and epistemological perspectives, which evidences the purpose of qualitative description research. Methods and rigor issues underpinning qualitative description research are also appraised to provide the researcher with a systematic approach to conduct research utilizing this approach. The key attributes and value of qualitative description research in the health care professions will be highlighted with the aim of extending its usage.

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SummaryObjective: To explore the influence of the Amulet artwork and exhibition on midwifery students' perceptions of caring for parents experiencing perinatal death.Design: A descriptive qualitative design involving face-to-face semi-structured interviews following institutional ethical approval.Setting: A regional Maternity Hospital in Ireland which hosted the National Artwork and Exhibition exploring the hidden world of infant death.Participants: A purposive sample of six consenting post registration midwifery students who had attended the Amulet artwork and exhibition.Findings: Four core themes emerged and these were i) entering the mother's world and hearing her pain; ii) the journey of grief and connecting with the bereaved parent's unique experience; iii) facing the challenge of providing effective perinatal bereavement care; iv) maintaining a journey of compassionate practice Conclusion and implications for practice: Exposure to, and reflection on the Amulet artwork and exhibition increased students' awareness and insight into the non-linear nature of the grieving process, and to the importance of maintaining a journey of compassionate care for parents experiencing perinatal death. The findings suggest that the use of creative women-centered strategies promote affective learning in relation to perinatal death and so may be of use to educators and maternity care providers.

We identified 69 Staphylococcus aureus isolates that were erythromycin intermediate as reported by the Vitek-1 system using the GPS-105 card. Of the 57 strains that were available for further testing, all were erythromycin resistant by broth microdilution and the Phoenix system, while the Vitek-2 system identified 55 of 57 strains (96%) as erythromycin resistant. The majority of isolates (54 of 57 [95%]) exhibited the inducible MLS (macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin family) phenotype, as shown by the double-disk test. We recommend that all S. aureus strains determined as erythromycin intermediate by the Vitek-1 system be interpreted as resistant to erythromycin.