einstein (São Paulo). 18/Mar/2020;18:eED5532.
Qualitative research
DOI: 10.31744/einstein_journal/2020ED5532
Qualitative research articles are different from the usual research publications in medicine and biological sciences,() given hypotheses are raised after data collection. The aim is to gain insights into and give voice to patients’ or persons’ experiences. The hypothesis can be altered along the way, which is impossible in most studies in Medicine. Surveys are often used in quantitative studies and can be combined with qualitative methods, such as in-depth interviews with small samples. Qualitative research is mostly based on face-to-face, telephone or remote (online video) interviews. The value of data obtained reflects the quality of the interviewer, should multiple interviewers be involved, inter-rater variability may adversely affect data interpretation.() As in psychological group therapy, holding focus groups may help mitigating this problem.
Qualitative studies are common in Nursing and Social Sciences research, as well as in Anthropology. However, they are not that common in medical research, where they often precede quantitative studies. In other words, qualitative studies – often not published – can lead to quantitative investigations that are publishable.
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