USE OF GROUNDED THEORY IN NURSING RESEARCH FOCUSED ON WOMEN'S HEALTH

ABSTRACT Objective: to analyze nursing pu. blications focused on women's health that used Grounded Theory as a methodological framework. Method: an integrative literature review, conducted in five stages, namely: formulation of the research question; literature search; data evaluation; study analysis; and presentation of results. The search was conducted in March 2024 in the MEDLINE/PubMed, Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde, Embase and Web of Science databases. Nursing studies focused on women's health that used Grounded Theory as a methodological framework, available in full and published in any language between 2019 and 2023 were included. Results: it was found that information regarding theoretical saturation, use of memos, and diagrams were not reported in all the studies analyzed. The studies explored complex phenomena such as violence against women, aspects related to childbirth/postpartum period and care management, elements of maternal-infant nursing, as well as gynecological and psychiatric care. Conclusion: the results of the studies analyzed in this review provided a robust theoretical foundation for clinical practice as well as insights into the development of public policies focused on women's health, particularly in contexts of vulnerability.