<p>Discourse analysis (DA) is becoming an increasingly popular research strategy for researchers in various disciplines, yet it evades a common understanding and systematic approach. Without a clear understanding of discourse and DA it is difficult to comprehend important research findings and impossible to use DA as a research strategy. In this paper, I will introduce the concepts of discourse and DA as understood and operationalised by critical social theorists. I will discuss how discourse informs nursing practice and how DA can contribute to nursing knowledge and practice. I will describe Potter and Wetherell’s (1987) stages of DA and will discuss the various ways each of these stages can be conceptualised and operationalised.</p>