An effort to use qualitative data analysis software for analysing think aloud data

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to describe how qualitative data analysis software was used in an attempt to manage and support a three-step protocol analysis of think aloud data in a study examining emergency nurses’ reasoning during triage. The qualitative data analysis software program QSR NVivo © was used to facilitate protocol analysis and to allow the identification and description of the information that 16 triage nurses concentrated on during triage, and how they structured this information to make a triage decision. The detailed description of how QSR NVivo © was used for protocol analysis of think aloud data may assist and guide future informatics research using similar methodology. Finally, the experiences of the use of QSR NVivo © for protocol analysis are discussed.