Department of Preventive Medicine, Ulsan University Hospital, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Ulsan, Korea.
Ulsan Metropolitan City Public Health Policy's Institute, Ulsan, Korea.
J Prev Med Public Health. 2023 Jan;56(1):12-20. doi: 10.3961/jpmph.22.451. Epub 2023 Jan 10.
Quantitative and qualitative research explore various social phenomena using different methods. However, there has been a tendency to treat quantitative studies using complicated statistical techniques as more scientific and superior, whereas relatively few qualitative studies have been conducted in the medical and healthcare fields. This review aimed to provide a proper understanding of qualitative research. This review examined the characteristics of quantitative and qualitative research to help researchers select the appropriate qualitative research methodology. Qualitative research is applicable in following cases: (1) when an exploratory approach is required on a topic that is not well known, (2) when something cannot be explained fully with quantitative research, (3) when it is necessary to newly present a specific view on a research topic that is difficult to explain with existing views, (4) when it is inappropriate to present the rationale or theoretical proposition for designing hypotheses, as in quantitative research, and (5) when conducting research that requires detailed descriptive writing with literary expressions. Qualitative research is conducted in the following order: (1) selection of a research topic and question, (2) selection of a theoretical framework and methods, (3) literature analysis, (4) selection of the research participants and data collection methods, (5) data analysis and description of findings, and (6) research validation. This review can contribute to the more active use of qualitative research in healthcare, and the findings are expected to instill a proper understanding of qualitative research in researchers who review qualitative research reports and papers.
定量研究和定性研究使用不同的方法探索各种社会现象。然而，有一种倾向是将使用复杂统计技术的定量研究视为更科学和更优越的，而在医学和医疗保健领域进行的定性研究相对较少。本综述旨在提供对定性研究的正确理解。本综述检查了定量和定性研究的特点，以帮助研究人员选择适当的定性研究方法。定性研究适用于以下情况：(1) 当需要对不为人知的主题进行探索性方法时，(2) 当定量研究无法充分解释某些内容时，(3) 需要对现有观点难以解释的研究主题提出新的特定观点时，(4) 当设计假设的基本原理或理论命题不适合呈现在定量研究中时，以及 (5) 当进行需要详细描述性写作和文学表达的研究时。定性研究按照以下顺序进行：(1) 选择研究主题和问题，(2) 选择理论框架和方法，(3) 文献分析，(4) 选择研究参与者和数据收集方法，(5) 数据分析和发现描述，以及 (6) 研究验证。本综述可以促进在医疗保健中更积极地使用定性研究，并且研究结果有望使审查定性研究报告和论文的研究人员对定性研究有正确的理解。
