Division of Primary Care, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.
BMC Med Res Methodol. 2011 Jun 27;11:100. doi: 10.1186/1471-2288-11-100.
The case study approach allows in-depth, multi-faceted explorations of complex issues in their real-life settings. The value of the case study approach is well recognised in the fields of business, law and policy, but somewhat less so in health services research. Based on our experiences of conducting several health-related case studies, we reflect on the different types of case study design, the specific research questions this approach can help answer, the data sources that tend to be used, and the particular advantages and disadvantages of employing this methodological approach. The paper concludes with key pointers to aid those designing and appraising proposals for conducting case study research, and a checklist to help readers assess the quality of case study reports.
案例研究方法允许在真实环境中深入、多方面地探索复杂问题。案例研究方法在商业、法律和政策领域的价值得到了广泛认可，但在卫生服务研究领域则稍逊一筹。基于我们进行了几项与健康相关的案例研究的经验，我们反思了不同类型的案例研究设计、该方法可以帮助回答的具体研究问题、倾向于使用的数据源，以及采用这种方法的特定优缺点。本文最后提供了一些关键要点，以帮助那些设计和评估案例研究提案的人，并提供了一份检查表，帮助读者评估案例研究报告的质量。
