QUALITATIVE STUDIES - THEIR ROLE IN MEDICAL-RESEARCH

OBJECTIVE To define qualitative research in terms of its philosophical roots, the questions it addresses, its methods and analyses, and the type of results it can offer. DATA SOURCES MEDLINE and CINAHL (Cumulat ive Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature) databases were sear ched for the years January 1985 to April 1998. The search strategy con sisted of ''textword'' terms that searched in the ''title'' field of b oth databases. Qualitative research and evaluation textbooks in health and the social sciences were also used. QUALITY OF EVIDENCE The infor mation on qualitative research is based on the most recent and valid e vidence from the health and social science fields. MAIN MESSAGE Qualit ative research seeks to understand and interpret personal experience t o explain social phenomena, including those related to health. It can address questions that quantitative research cannot, such as why peopl e do not adhere to a treatment regimen or why a certain health care in tervention is successful. It uses many methods of data collection, inc luding participant observation, case studies, and interviews, and nume rous approaches to data analysis that range from the quasi-statistical to the intuitive and inductive. CONCLUSIONS Qualitative research, a f orm of research completely different from quantitative research, can p rovide important insights into health-related phenomena and can enrich further research inquiries.