Purpose: Health professionals need to bemore sensitive to the languages used in clinical settings to better understand their patients and to generate better health outcomes. The purpose of this article was to introduce discourse analysis as a way of understanding languages related with health and illness. Methods: This was a review of studies done bymultiple scholars dealt with discourse analysis. Results: This study provides theoretical backgrounds and basic assumptions of discourse analysis. Several key concepts were demonstrated compared with phenomenology and grounded theory methods. Those were data collection, analysis, and purpose of the study. In addition, evaluation criteria of discourse analysis was provided with strategies to improve quality of the study. Lastly, exemplary texts on discourse analysis in healthcare area were presented to promote understanding. Conclusion: Discourse analysis can help healthcare professionals develop effective communication strategies by gaining insight and sensitivity on languages related with health and illness that are habitually used in healthcare settings.

서 론
    1. 연구의 필요성
    2. 담론 분석의 종류
본 론
    1. 담론 분석의 이론적 배경과 기본 가정
    2. 다른 질적 연구방법과의 비교
    3. 담론 분석 연구의 평가
    4. 담론 분석 연구 사례
결 론 및 제 언
REFERENCES

• 이명선(서울대학교 간호대학·간호과학연구소) | Yi Myungsun (College of Nursing, Research Institute of Nursing Science, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea) Corresponding author