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"Many individuals believe that qualitative methods refer to research procedures that collect subjective human-generated data. However, subjective data can be quantitative, such as the subjective responses to carefully constructed usability questionnaires used as outcome end points. Diagnostic codes are another example of quantitative forms of subjective data.
Qualitative methods, rather, refer to procedures and methods that produce narrative or observational descriptive data that are not intended for transformation into numbers. Narrative data refers to information in the form of stories, themes, meanings and metaphors. Collecting this information requires the use of systematic procedures where the purpose is to understand and explore while minimizing bias." (Weir, 2018) in
Health Informatics : An Interprofessional Approach"Narrative's role in decision making remains underexplored in health science and policy research. Three key reasons account for this situation. First, qualitative studies often do not gather data from representative populations, and thus their results may not be generalizable. Second, to maintain confidentiality and because data are voluminous, investigators rarely share qualitative data sets, which makes it difficult to combine or compare findings from different qualitative studies. Finally, the limitations on generalizability and data sharing can make it difficult to translate qualitative findings into practical strategies for health improvement." (Dohan, 2015)
In contrast to a more divisive viewpoint widely adhered to in the 1980s and 1990s that quantitative and qualitative methods were "radically incompatible," since the early 2000s blended approaches have gained acceptance. "The post-positivist's randomized controlled trial could determine which medication was superior for the average patient, and the social constructionist could interview individual patients and their caregivers in order to understand what it means to live with the disease and its treatment. . . . There are excellent examples of interdisciplinaryteams bringing both qualitative and quantitative approaches to bear on complex health problems." (Ring, 614)
Another excellent overview may be found via PubMed Central:
Also see Chapter 8, "Inaccuracies in Qualitative Research : A Buffonian Approach," in
