CAMPBELL R, POUND P, POPE C, DONOVAN J, BRITTEN N, MORGAN M, PILL R; International Society of Technology Assessment in Health Care. Meeting.
Annu Meet Int Soc Technol Assess Health Care Int Soc Technol Assess Health Care Meet. 2001; 17: abstract no. 43.
Department of Social Medicine, University of Bristol1 Departments of Public Health Sciences and General Practice, GKT, London 2 Department of General Practice, University of Wales College of Medicine, Cardiff 3 UK.
Introduction - With meta-analysis firmly established interest is shifting towards how qualitative research findings can be brought into the evidence base. However, the application of conventional systematic review methodology to qualitative research presents both philosophical and practical challenges. The aim here was to conduct a feasibility study that included both the formative evaluation of a set of criteria for assessing qualitative research and a research synthesis.Methods - Ten qualitative studies of adult patients' perspectives of diabetes were purposefully selected to ensure diversity. These included papers written over a 20 year period, studies of patients with type I and type II diabetes and studies covering different qualitative methodologies, health care systems and ethnic groups. A set of questions proposed by the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) was adapted for use as an instrument for assessing the quality of papers prior to entry into the synthesis. To check the consistency of assessment each study was reviewed independently by two people. The synthesis was conducted using the meta ethnographic method.Results - The level of agreement between assessors was reasonable. Of the ten papers reviewed, three were not included in the synthesis. One paper was excluded because it was not qualitative research, one because the quality of the empirical work was judged to be very poor and one because the qualitative findings reported on were also recorded in another paper to be included in the synthesis. All of the papers included in the synthesis contained typologies of patient responses to diabetes and these were successfully synthesized. In a second element of the synthesis seven key concepts were identified as being important in enabling a person with diabetes to achieve a balance in their lives and to attain a sense of wellbeing and control. These elements included: time and experience, trust in self, a less subservient approach to care providers, strategic non compliance with medication, effective support from providers and an acknowledgement that diabetes is serious.Conclusions - This evaluation confirmed the effectiveness of meta-ethnography as a method of synthesis. As none of the research papers included in it contained any references to each other, it more than demonstrated the need to bring the findings of qualitative research together. In addition, from it evolved a practical method of qualitative research assessment and data extraction. This process, however, requires further testing and evaluation before it could be recommended for widespread adoption by those undertaking health technology assessment.
Publication Types:
Keywords:
- Adult
- Anthropology, Cultural
- Biomedical Research
- Delivery of Health Care
- Diabetes Mellitus
- Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2
- Evaluation Studies
- Humans
- Meta-Analysis
- Nursing Methodology Research
- Nursing Research
- Qualitative Research
- Research
- Research Design
- classification
- methods
- hsrmtgs
Other ID:
UI: 102274375
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