Using questionnaires to ask nurses about working in the community: problems of definition

Given the emphasis on providing services in the community, it is likely tha t there will be an increase in research into various aspects of the communi ty. It is important that the way in which 'community' is defined in researc h will provide valid and reliable data and facilitate comparisons with othe r work on the subject. This paper discusses how the problems of defining th e community were approached in a longitudinal study of the careers of peopl e qualifying from the pre-registration diploma course in nursing.