Frontiers in Medicine · Published 2026-08-17 · Journal article · DOI 10.3389/fmed.2026.1917608
Xinyi Hao, Jin Guo, Xiaolan Dong
In recent years, the application of Kawakita Jiro Method (KJ method, also known as Affinity Graph Method) in the field of nursing has received increasing attention. As a creative qualitative problem solving method, it provides systematic information analysis and problem solving ideas for the development of nursing education, nursing management, clinical nursing and nursing research. This review provides a structured overview of the core operation process and application characteristics of KJ method, and comprehensively summarizes its application status in nursing education framework construction, teaching reform exploration, nurse–patient communication optimization in nursing management, core competence mining of nurses, patient experience exploration in clinical nursing, improvement of nurse literacy, theoretical framework construction and research tool development in nursing research. The application fit, specific application strategies and practical application effects of KJ method and each nursing scenario were deeply analyzed, and the advantages and existing problems of KJ method in the nursing field were clarified. The future development direction of KJ method was proposed from four dimensions: interdisciplinary integration, application scenario expansion, methodology innovation and nurse core competence training. This paper aims to provide a valuable and targeted reference for the standardized application, innovative practice and follow-up research of KJ method in the nursing field.
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Hao, X., Guo, J., Dong, X. (2026). Research progress on the application of Kawakita Jiro Method in nursing field. Frontiers in Medicine. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2026.1917608