Grounded theory in social research: experience in a sociocultural health study

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to demonstrate the process of theory building based on Grounded Theory, from the analysis of empirical data on the right to health information (RHI) in the detection and medical care of breast and cervical cancer. These data derive from qualitative research, in which focus groups and in-depth interviews were conducted with women between 25 and 45 years of age in a city in northern Mexico, to find out how they exercised the DIS in medical care, what their experiences in management were and what their perceptions of care were like. In the analysis of the first data and at the beginning of the open coding, self-perception was identified as an emerging category, defined as the interviewees' self-perception of their position vis-à-vis the physician and the health institution during the management of care. This category was analyzed in axial and selective coding, showing its explanatory potential for understanding the practices of women in exercising their right to health information. This empirical exercise shows that grounded theory implies a systematic and rigorous process of codification, comparison and integration of data and theory. This paper contributes to the understanding of theoretical and methodological decisions based on grounded theory in social research.