Tracer Method from Qualitative Research Methods and an Application Example in Blood Transfusion Process

Tracer / process tracing is a qualitative research method that usually examines causal mechanisms in which a single case or a small number of cases are examined. It is a method for collecting data and ensuring the reliability of the sample. In the national literature, although the studies in which the method has been applied in social sciences are observed, the method is not explained in detail in these studies. In this study, general information about the method of tracing is explained in detail and the blood transfusion process in a hospital over 500 beds has been examined as an example to the method of tracing. Interviews and observations were made at the hospital blood transfusion center and during blood transfusions. At the time of the assessment, documents and records about the blood transfusion process were used. The documents of the patients who had a blood transfusion were retrospectively examined and the findings from all of these surveys were evaluated. The procedure of blood transfusion is a process that allows both patient-tracing and systemic tracing to be carried out together. As a result of the work the main target of the study was to provide understanding the method, findings of the transfusion process were shared to facilitate the understanding of the method