Cancer Services & Policy Research Unit, Cancer Care Ontario, (620 University Ave), Toronto, (M5G 2L7), Canada.
BMC Med Res Methodol. 2011 Jan 27;11:11. doi: 10.1186/1471-2288-11-11.
In research, diagrams are most commonly used in the analysis of data and visual presentation of results. However there has been a substantial growth in the use of diagrams in earlier stages of the research process to collect data. Despite this growth, guidance on this technique is often isolated within disciplines.
A multidisciplinary systematic review was performed, which included 13 traditional healthcare and non-health-focused indexes, non-indexed searches and contacting experts in the field. English-language articles that used diagrams as a data collection tool and reflected on the process were included in the review, with no restriction on publication date.
The search identified 2690 documents, of which 80 were included in the final analysis. The choice to use diagrams for data collection is often determined by requirements of the research topic, such as the need to understand research subjects' knowledge or cognitive structure, to overcome cultural and linguistic differences, or to understand highly complex subject matter. How diagrams were used for data collection varied by the degrees of instruction for, and freedom in, diagram creation, the number of diagrams created or edited and the use of diagrams in conjunction with other data collection methods. Depending on how data collection is structured, a variety of options for qualitative and quantitative analysis are available to the researcher. The review identified a number of benefits to using diagrams in data collection, including the ease with which the method can be adapted to complement other data collection methods and its ability to focus discussion. However it is clear that the benefits and challenges of diagramming depend on the nature of its application and the type of diagrams used.
DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: The results of this multidisciplinary systematic review examine the application of diagrams in data collection and the methods for analyzing the unique datasets elicited. Three recommendations are presented. Firstly, the diagrammatic approach should be chosen based on the type of data needed. Secondly, appropriate instructions will depend on the approach chosen. And thirdly, the final results should present examples of original or recreated diagrams. This review also highlighted the need for a standardized terminology of the method and a supporting theoretical framework.
在研究中，图表最常用于数据分析和结果的可视化呈现。然而，在研究过程的早期阶段，图表的使用已经大幅增加，用于收集数据。尽管如此，关于这种技术的指导通常在学科内部孤立存在。
进行了一项多学科系统评价，其中包括 13 个传统的医疗保健和非医疗重点索引、非索引搜索以及联系该领域的专家。本综述纳入了使用图表作为数据收集工具并对该过程进行反思的英文文章，对出版日期没有限制。
搜索共确定了 2690 篇文献，其中 80 篇被纳入最终分析。选择使用图表进行数据收集通常取决于研究主题的要求，例如需要了解研究对象的知识或认知结构、克服文化和语言差异，或理解高度复杂的主题。图表用于数据收集的方式因创建图表的指导程度和自由度、创建或编辑的图表数量以及图表与其他数据收集方法的结合使用而有所不同。根据数据收集的结构，研究人员可以选择各种定性和定量分析选项。本综述确定了在数据收集过程中使用图表的一些好处，包括该方法易于适应其他数据收集方法以及其能够聚焦讨论的能力。然而，显然，图表的优点和挑战取决于其应用的性质和使用的图表类型。
讨论/结论：这项多学科系统评价的结果检查了图表在数据收集和分析由此得出的独特数据集的方法中的应用。提出了三项建议。首先，应根据所需的数据类型选择图表方法。其次，适当的指令将取决于所选方法。第三，最终结果应展示原始或重新创建的图表示例。本综述还强调了对该方法的标准化术语和支持性理论框架的需求。
