Poetic Forms and Structures in Qualitative Health Research

Abstract

In this article, the author explores the uses of poetic forms in qualitative health research, analyzing thematically a poem written from a patient's perspective of being treated in an emergency room. From the themes identified, he created two "research poems" using two formal poetic structures: the French-Malaysian pantoum, and the Japanese-inspired American tanka. The author contextualizes this research through an exploration of the arts and poetry as qualitative research.