Qualitative studies

Question 1

What is qualitative data?

Answer 1

anything which sheds light on understandings, attitudes, experiences in depth

interviews
focus groups
observation
materials produced by participants
written documents

Question 2

What type of sample is a quantitative approach and a qualitative approach?

Answer 2

quantitative - representative

qualitative - purposive

Question 3

What are the 5 main qualitative approaches?

name 2 others

Answer 3

grounded theory
ethnography
case study
narrative
phenomenology

generic / pragmatic

Question 4

What is grounded theory?

Answer 4

developing theory grounded in data from the field

you don’t start with a theory / hypothesis

Question 5

What is ethnography?

Answer 5

describing / ninterpreting a cultural or social group

Question 6

What is case study?

Answer 6

in depth analysis of a single case or multiple cases

Question 7

What is narrative?

Answer 7

eliciting meaning of experiences expressed as stories of individuals

Question 8

What is phenomenology?

Answer 8

understanding the essence of experience of a phenomenon

Question 9

What is purposive sampling?

Answer 9

people are selected for particular demographic or experience

not aiming for representatives
making sure a range of perspectives is covered
recruiting beyond whom taking part is easiest

Question 10

What is the ‘iterative’ method?

Answer 10

repeating cycles of data collection and analysis, changing your methods and question

Question 11

How is qualitative analysis carried out?

Answer 11

most commonly thematic analysis
transcripts coded
main themes identified
researchers interpret data

Question 12

What is Big Q qualitative research?

Answer 12

sees health / healthcare as dynamic social activity
aims to develop theory that explains why people think / behave
critical approach to the participant’s accounts

Question 13

What is small q qualitative research?

Answer 13

focus on health condition / care site / intervention
looks at patient’s understandings / needs
can be used together with quantitative methods

Question 14

Clinical trials may often be ‘nested’ with a qualitative element. How might this be done?

Answer 14

development of intervention, making sure it’s meaningful

feasibility and acceptability

experience of receiving / delivering the intervention

explaining outcomes, why it worked

Question 15

What are PROMS?

Answer 15

Patient Reported Outcome Measures

questionnaires completed by patients on health and QoL (not ‘satisfaction’)
qualitative studies help develop questionnaires

Question 16

What is the value of qualitative research in guideline synthesis?

Answer 16

how stakeholders value different outcomes, equity, gender, and human rights impact, and the acceptability and feasibility of interventions

Question 17

What makes a good / rigorous qualitative study?

Answer 17

trustworthiness
credibility
reflexivity
relevance

Question 18

How can a qualitative study be trustworthy?

Answer 18

justified interpretation
include quatations to support analysis
invite others to comment
compare different perspectives

Question 19

How can a qualitative study be credible?

Answer 19

fail representation of data
all data analysed
using multiple coders so it’s reliable

Question 20

How can a qualitative study show reflexivity?

Answer 20

researchers need to address the problem of having a human collect and interpreting data awith their personal influence

critically examine their own role and influence during:
forming questions
data collection
relationship with participants