Senior Research Fellow, University of Gloucestershire, Oxstalls Campus SC117, Gloucester GL2 9HW, United Kingdom.
Consultant Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon, Gloucestershire NHS Hospitals Foundation Trust, 1 College Lawn, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL53 7AG, United Kingdom.
Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2022 Sep;60(7):910-914. doi: 10.1016/j.bjoms.2022.01.005. Epub 2022 Jan 22.
Oral and maxillofacial research has utilised predominantly quantitative research approaches and qualitative methodologies have been applied with very narrow scope. Although qualitative surgical research is increasing in popularity there is a lack of patient voice within extant research and important aspects of patients' experiences including preparation, perceptions of well-being, and functional outcomes are potentially overlooked. This provides researchers with significant opportunities to devise approaches that expand our understanding of the social contexts surrounding surgical interventions and associated outcomes and to develop better-informed approaches to research and practice. Reflecting on a novel research project involving OMFS patients this paper seeks to outline some distinct advantages of qualitative research based on researcher reflections. Firstly, we contend that understanding patients as collaborators within the research process helps to establish a research design that reflects the context and complexities of the phenomenon under investigation and increases the precision of the concepts being addressed. Secondly, interactive group-based data collection approaches create a space in which patients are able to explore aspects relating to OMFS. Thirdly, we suggest that patient interaction optimises the quality of data by providing participants with the opportunity to engage in conversation with those who understand the treatment processes. The final advantage concerns the intentional involvement of patients within the data analysis phase. We contend that interactive approaches to data collection and analysis where data are collected, analysed, compared and refined as new data are acquired helps to develop a conceptual explanation for the phenomenon in question that is both significant and relevant to the setting being studied. We conclude with recommendations for future research.
口腔颌面研究主要采用定量研究方法，定性方法的应用范围非常狭窄。虽然定性手术研究越来越受欢迎，但现有的研究中缺乏患者的声音，患者的体验包括准备、幸福感的认知和功能结果等重要方面可能被忽视。这为研究人员提供了重要的机会，可以设计出扩展我们对手术干预及其相关结果的社会背景的理解的方法，并制定出更明智的研究和实践方法。本文通过反思一项涉及口腔颌面外科患者的新研究项目，旨在基于研究人员的反思，概述定性研究的一些明显优势。首先，我们认为将患者视为研究过程中的合作者有助于建立反映研究对象背景和复杂性的研究设计，并提高所解决概念的精确性。其次，互动式基于群体的数据收集方法为患者提供了一个能够探索与口腔颌面外科相关方面的空间。第三，我们认为患者的互动通过为参与者提供与了解治疗过程的人进行对话的机会，优化了数据的质量。最后一个优势涉及患者在数据分析阶段的有意参与。我们认为，数据收集、分析、比较和细化的互动式方法有助于根据新数据为所研究的现象发展一个具有重要意义和与研究环境相关的概念性解释。最后，我们提出了未来研究的建议。
