Assessing the quality of qualitative research.
TL;DR: Four broad questions that authors could ask themselves in drafting papers for PEC, knowing that these are the questions that the editors ask about all submissions – whether qualitative or quantitative, are described.
About: This article is published in Patient Education and Counseling.The article was published on 2013-01-01. It has received 536 citations till now. The article focuses on the topics: Quality (business) & Qualitative research.
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TL;DR: Rigorous development of a qualitative semi-structured interview guide contributes to the objectivity and trustworthiness of studies and makes the results more plausible.
Abstract: Aim: To produce a framework for the development of a qualitative semi-structured interview
guide.
Background: Rigorous data collection procedures fundamentally influence the results of
studies. The semi-structured interview is a common data collection method, but
methodological research on the development of a semi-structured interview guide is sparse.
Design: Systematic methodological review.
Data Sources: We searched PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus and Web of Science for
methodological papers on semi-structured interview guides from October 2004 - September
2014. Having examined 2,703 titles and abstracts and 21 full texts, we finally selected ten
papers.
Review methods: We analysed the data using the qualitative content analysis method.
Results: Our analysis resulted in new synthesized knowledge on the development of a semistructured
interview guide, including five phases: 1) identifying the prerequisites for using
semi-structured interviews; 2) retrieving and using previous knowledge; 3) formulating the preliminary semi-structured interview guide; 4) pilot testing the guide; and 5) presenting the
complete semi-structured interview guide.
Conclusion: Rigorous development of a qualitative semi-structured interview guide
contributes to the objectivity and trustworthiness of studies and makes the results more
plausible. Researchers should consider using this five-step process to develop a semistructured
interview guide and justify the decisions made during it.
1,161 citations
Cites background from "Assessing the quality of qualitativ..."
...Several editors of scientific publications have highlighted the importance of rigour when conducting and reporting qualitative studies (Salmon 2013, Bell 2014, Cleary et al. 2014)....
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TL;DR: Some HPE scholars have begun to use terms in qualitative publications without critically reflecting on: (i) their ontological and epistemological roots; (ii) their definitions, or (iii) their implications.
Abstract: Context
Qualitative research is widely accepted as a legitimate approach to inquiry in health professions education (HPE). To secure this status, qualitative researchers have developed a variety of strategies (e.g. reliance on post-positivist qualitative methodologies, use of different rhetorical techniques, etc.) to facilitate the acceptance of their research methodologies and methods by the HPE community. Although these strategies have supported the acceptance of qualitative research in HPE, they have also brought about some unintended consequences. One of these consequences is that some HPE scholars have begun to use terms in qualitative publications without critically reflecting on: (i) their ontological and epistemological roots; (ii) their definitions, or (iii) their implications.
Objectives
In this paper, we share our critical reflections on four qualitative terms popularly used in the HPE literature: thematic emergence; triangulation; saturation, and member checking.
Methods
We discuss the methodological origins of these terms and the applications supported by these origins. We reflect critically on how these four terms became expected of qualitative research in HPE, and we reconsider their meanings and use by drawing on the broader qualitative methodology literature.
Conclusions
Through this examination, we hope to encourage qualitative scholars in HPE to avoid using qualitative terms uncritically and non-reflexively.
486 citations
TL;DR: ICT was found to alleviate the elderly’s social isolation through four mechanisms: connecting to the outside world, gaining social support, engaging in activities of interests, and boosting self-confidence.
Abstract: Background: The aging of the population is an inexorable change that challenges governments and societies in every developed country. Based on clinical and empirical data, social isolation is found to be prevalent among elderly people, and it has negative consequences on the elderly’s psychological and physical health. Targeting social isolation has become a focus area for policy and practice. Evidence indicates that contemporary information and communication technologies (ICT) have the potential to prevent or reduce the social isolation of elderly people via various mechanisms. Objective: This systematic review explored the effects of ICT interventions on reducing social isolation of the elderly. Methods: Relevant electronic databases (PsycINFO, PubMed, MEDLINE, EBSCO, SSCI, Communication Studies: a SAGE Full-Text Collection, Communication & Mass Media Complete, Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Digital Library, and IEEE Xplore) were systematically searched using a unified strategy to identify quantitative and qualitative studies on the effectiveness of ICT-mediated social isolation interventions for elderly people published in English between 2002 and 2015. Narrative synthesis was performed to interpret the results of the identified studies, and their quality was also appraised. Results: Twenty-five publications were included in the review. Four of them were evaluated as rigorous research. Most studies measured the effectiveness of ICT by measuring specific dimensions rather than social isolation in general. ICT use was consistently found to affect social support, social connectedness, and social isolation in general positively. The results for loneliness were inconclusive. Even though most were positive, some studies found a nonsignificant or negative impact. More importantly, the positive effect of ICT use on social connectedness and social support seemed to be short-term and did not last for more than six months after the intervention. The results for self-esteem and control over one’s life were consistent but generally nonsignificant. ICT was found to alleviate the elderly’s social isolation through four mechanisms: connecting to the outside world, gaining social support, engaging in activities of interests, and boosting self-confidence. Conclusions: More well-designed studies that contain a minimum risk of research bias are needed to draw conclusions on the effectiveness of ICT interventions for elderly people in reducing their perceived social isolation as a multidimensional concept. The results of this review suggest that ICT could be an effective tool to tackle social isolation among the elderly. However, it is not suitable for every senior alike. Future research should identify who among elderly people can most benefit from ICT use in reducing social isolation. Research on other types of ICT (eg, mobile phone–based instant messaging apps) should be conducted to promote understanding and practice of ICT-based social-isolation interventions for elderly people. [J Med Internet Res 2016;18(1):e18]
461 citations
Cites background or methods from "Assessing the quality of qualitativ..."
...The quality of most qualitative studies was low because the authors failed to address several key areas, as proposed by Salmon [27]....
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...The criteria proposed by Salmon [27] were used to evaluate the qualitative research: theoretical framework, value of study, data collection, participant description, data analysis, and data interpretations....
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01 Jan 2003
TL;DR: Meta-ethnography has great potential as a method of synthesis in qualitative health technology assessment but it is still evolving and cannot, at present, be regarded as a standardised approach capable of application in a routinised way.
415 citations
TL;DR: Focused ethnography has emerged as a relevant research methodology that can be used by nurse researchers to understand specific societal issues that affect different facets of nursing practice.
Abstract: Aim To provide an overview of the relevance and strengths of focused ethnography in nursing research. The paper provides descriptions of focused ethnography and discusses using exemplars to show how focused ethnographies can enhance and understand nursing practice.
403 citations
References
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TL;DR: In this article, the authors propose relevance, validity, and reflexivity as overall standards for qualitative inquiry, and discuss specific challenges in relation to reflexivity, transferability, and shared assumptions of interpretation.
4,638 citations
"Assessing the quality of qualitativ..." refers background in this paper
...in diversity in qualitative methods has grown [12], as has interest in developing new approaches specifically for clinical...
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TL;DR: It is argued that there is no substitute for systematic and thorough application of the principles of qualitative research and technical fixes will achieve little unless they are embedded in a broader understanding of the rationale and assumptions behind qualitative research.
Abstract: Qualitative research methods are enjoying unprecedented popularity. Although checklists have undoubtedly contributed to the wider acceptance of such methods, these can be counterproductive if used prescriptively. The uncritical adoption of a range of “technical fixes” (such as purposive sampling, grounded theory, multiple coding, triangulation, and respondent validation) does not, in itself, confer rigour.
In this article I discuss the limitations of these procedures and argue that there is no substitute for systematic and thorough application of the principles of qualitative research. Technical fixes will achieve little unless they are embedded in a broader understanding of the rationale and assumptions behind qualitative research.
#### Summary points
Checklists can be useful improving qualitative research methods, but overzealous and uncritical use can be counterproductive
Reducing qualitative research to a list of technical procedures (such as purposive sampling, grounded theory, multiple coding, triangulation, and respondent validation) is overly prescriptive and results in “the tail wagging the dog”
None of these “technical fixes” in itself confers rigour; they can strengthen the rigour of qualitative research only if embedded in a broader understanding of qualitative research design and data analysis
Otherwise we risk compromising the unique contribution that systematic qualitative research can make to health services research
In medical research the question is no longer whether qualitative methods are valuable but how rigour can be ensured or enhanced. Checklists have played an important role in conferring respectability on qualitative research and in convincing potential sceptics of its thoroughness.1–3 They have equipped those unfamiliar with this approach to evaluate or review qualitative work (by providing guidance on crucial questions that need to be asked) and in reminding qualitative researchers of the need for a systematic approach (by providing an aide-memoire of the various stages involved in research design and data analysis4).
Qualitative researchers stress the …
2,660 citations
"Assessing the quality of qualitativ..." refers background in this paper
...Over many years, qualitative researchers have warned of the dangers of adopting specific methods in a ‘cook-book’ way [10], or just because they are part of a specific analytic ‘brand’ – i....
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TL;DR: This article argues that qualitative researchers are in danger of reifying methods in the same way as their colleagues in quantitative research have done for some time, and offers suggestions for avoiding methodolatry.
Abstract: The increasing turn to qualitative research in health psychology raises a number of issues about the appropriate use and relevance of qualitative methods in this field. In this article I raise concerns about methodolatry: the privileging of methodological concerns over other considerations in qualitative health research. I argue that qualitative researchers are in danger of reifying methods in the same way as their colleagues in quantitative research have done for some time. Reasons for the pre-eminence of methods are discussed briefly and their consequences considered. The latter include: a concern with 'proper' or 'correct' methods; a focus on description at the expense of interpretation; a concern with issues of validity and generalizability; an avoidance of theory; an avoidance of the critical; and the stance of the researcher. I offer some suggestions for avoiding methodolatry and some opinions on how we might develop and use qualitative research more effectively in health psychology.
225 citations
Additional excerpts
...‘methodologism’ or ‘methodolatry’ [9,11]....
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TL;DR: In the efforts to move beyond traditional paternalism, patient experiential evidence suggests the necessity of a careful balance between standardized approaches and respect for diversities in shared decision-making.
98 citations
"Assessing the quality of qualitativ..." refers background in this paper
...For example, recent papers in PEC illustrate how qualitative research can challenge existing assumptions [3], tell us about a phenomenon that had previously been missed [4], or suggest how an intervention works [5] or how a general principle, like shared decision-making, operates in practice [6]; or it could produce a new theory or model [7], or new practical ideas for practitioners [8]....
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TL;DR: The range of outputs generated by qualitative research is described; different ways in which qualitative and quantitative methods can be combined; and the contribution of qualitative syntheses are illustrated.
81 citations