Qualitative Research Methods in Health Services Research

Abstract

This is a short introduction to the field of qualitative investigation. There are many methodologies and methods that support rigorous qualitative research; however, there are as many controversies about the “right way” to do qualitative research and how qualitative research should be defined and judged. In this space, it is impossible to do more than provide a general overview of study design, instruments for qualitative data collection and introductory guidance for analytic processes. Many of the references cited provide excellent examples of rigorous qualitative work in the medical literature and will expose the reader to multiple options for future study design and execution.