Department of Nursing, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
Department of Health and Nursing Science, University of Agder, Kristiansand, Norway.
BMC Med Res Methodol. 2023 Dec 6;23(1):284. doi: 10.1186/s12874-023-02105-1.
Qualitative longitudinal research (QLR) is an emerging methodology used in health research. The method literature states that the change in a phenomenon through time should be the focus of any QLR study, but in empirical studies, the analysis of changes through time is often poorly described, and the emphasis on time/change in the findings varies greatly. This inconsistency might depend on limitations in the existing method literature in terms of describing how QLR studies can present findings. The aim of this study was to develop and describe a typology of alternative approaches for integrating time and/or change in QLR findings.
In this method study, we used an adapted scoping review design. Articles were identified using EBSCOhost. In total, methods and results sections from 299 QLR articles in the field of health research were analyzed with inspiration from content analysis.
We constructed a typology of three types and seven subtypes. The types were based on the underlying structural principles of how time/change was presented: Type A) Findings have a low utilization of longitudinal data, Type B) Findings are structured according to chronological time, and Type C) Findings focus on changes through time. These types differed in 1) the way the main focus was on time, change or neither; 2) the level of interpretation in the findings; and 3) how theoretical understandings of time/change were articulated in the articles. Each type encompassed two or three subtypes that represented distinct approaches to the aim and results presentation of QLR findings.
This method study is the first to describe a coherent and comprehensive typology of alternative approaches for integrating time/change into QLR findings in health research. By providing examples of various subtypes that can be used for results presentations, it can help researchers make informed decisions suitable to their research intent.
定性纵向研究（QLR）是一种用于健康研究的新兴方法。方法文献指出，任何 QLR 研究的重点都应该是现象随时间的变化，但在实证研究中，对时间变化的分析往往描述得不够充分，研究结果对时间/变化的强调程度也大不相同。这种不一致性可能取决于现有方法文献在描述如何呈现 QLR 研究结果方面的局限性。本研究旨在开发和描述一种整合 QLR 研究结果中时间和/或变化的替代方法的分类法。
在这项方法研究中，我们使用了一种经过改编的范围综述设计。使用 EBSCOhost 识别文章。总共分析了健康研究领域 299 篇 QLR 文章的方法和结果部分，灵感来自内容分析。
我们构建了一种三类型和七种亚型的分类法。这些类型基于呈现时间/变化的基本结构原则：A 型）研究结果对纵向数据的利用程度较低；B 型）研究结果根据时间顺序组织；C 型）研究结果侧重于时间变化。这些类型在以下方面存在差异：1）主要关注时间、变化或两者都不关注的方式；2）研究结果中的解释水平；3）文章中如何阐述对时间/变化的理论理解。每种类型都包含两个或三个亚型，代表了呈现 QLR 研究结果的目的和方法的不同方法。
本方法研究首次描述了一种在健康研究中整合时间/变化到 QLR 研究结果的替代方法的连贯和全面的分类法。通过提供各种可用于结果呈现的亚型示例，它可以帮助研究人员根据自己的研究意图做出明智的决策。
