S.TRUEMAN PhD THESIS 2016

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an understanding of a problem—what Stake refers to as the ‘issue’. The entity, or the case, is of secondary interest to understanding the issue; it merely provides a manifestation of it. Whether or not the case is typical of others representing the issue is not of interest. Instead, the focus is examining the ordinary case in its everyday context in order to arrive at an understanding of the issue (Patterson, 2000; Stake, 1995). Stake suggested that, in reality, little distinguishes intrinsic and instrumental case studies, as a case study may begin as intrinsic but evolve to become instrumental, depending on that which is of interest. When there is a need to look to more than one case to understand an issue, collective case study is appropriate. The similarities and differences between the cases, and the variety and redundancy therein, are of value to both the inquiry and to understanding the issue. For this reason, the choice of cases is purposive, because studying them will provide a better understanding of the issue. The present case study is categorised as an intrinsic case study because it was explorative in nature, investigated one particular case and was guided by the researcher’s interest in the particular case. Further, there was no expectation that the study’s results would have implications for other case studies or for extending theory. Finally, the primary aim of this case study was to learn about the particular case itself, namely remote generalist nurses delivering mental healthcare. The concept of a ‘case’ encompasses a variety of meanings (Ragin, 1999). The researcher sought to understand and explain the situations of remote nurses caring for mental health patients throughout Australia. Due to the complexity of issues and unique circumstances of each primary healthcare centre and hospital setting, a variety of perspectives were explored and investigated. In order to fully understand the case, it was