Mixed Methods research

Mixed Methods Research

Arindam BasuPrepared for PG Meeting,University of Canterbury,

http://arinbasu.wordpress.com

Three Scenarios

• Inter-professional Training• Colorectal Cancer Screening • Teaching of Telehealth to Physicians

How Can Qualitative alone, Quantitative Research alone, or a combination meet the needs of research questions pursued?

Interprofessional Education

• Different Professions, Same Trainees • Different Professionals Train the Same People• How does one learn about effectiveness of the

education process?• Whose Perspective? (Trainers? Trainees?

External Stakeholders?)• How Do We Measure Outputs?• Can Everything Be Measured?

How Does One Measure the Effectiveness of Inter-professional Training?

Screening For Colorectal Cancer

• Colorectal Cancer is a leading cause of cancer and kill people

• If this cancer can be detected when it the tumour is very small and localized, then it can be safely removed

• That detection is done using a stool test called guaiac test.

• What’s the best strategy?

Source: http://www.medicinenet.com/colon_cancer/article.htm

What Does One Measure?The Patient (Suffering, Convenience, How Easy)

The Physician (Provider)How best will the screening test perform?Sensitivity? Specificity?

Ministry of Health (Payer)How Economical?How Many False Cases for reasons of logisticsHow Many People should be Screened To Identify One case?

What is the Effectiveness of Telehealth Training for Physicians?

Trainees (Physicians)

Trainers (Teaching Physicians)Stakeholders (MoH)

The Truth Out There (Descriptive Data, Relationships)

The Investigator Who Investigates “The Truth”• Belief• Previous Ideas• “Need” for “Positive” Findings

The Participants WhoContribute to the Truth Seeking Process* Patients•Members. Public• Preconceptions• Life Story ...




Quantitative Research Dissociates the Investigator from His “Biases”

1. Rule Out Chance2. Control for

Confounding3. Eliminate Bias4. Test for

Causality (where Needed)




Qualitative Research: integration between the Researcher, Researchee , Researched




Qualitative Research

Quantitative Research

The Reality (Interprofessional Education Improves Student Outcomes )


The Participants WhoContribute to the Truth Seeking Process* Students narrate their experiences



Survey of traineesItems on questionnairesTallying Numbers

The Reality (Telehealth Education through distance improves care process)


Trainees tell theirStories on how well They did and what theyfelt



Pass/Fail StatisticsStudent PerformanceCarbon Saving

The Reality (Telehealth Education through distance improves care process)


Trainees tell theirStories on how well They did and what theyfelt



Pass/Fail StatisticsStudent PerformanceCarbon Saving

These Diverse Views of the World Are Reconciled in Mixed Methods Research

In Mixed Methods

Qualitative Quantitative

Sequential (Could Be Reversed)

Qualitative Quantitative

Concurrent, this Can Happen At the Same Time

Balance Between ThreeHow Much Quantitative Versus Qualitative?

What is the Sequence? Is it Partially or Fully Mixed Methods?

Research CycleConceptualize (Proposal)

Collect Data

Analyze Data

Interpret Data

Collect Data

Typology of Mixed Methods

An Example from a Recent Study

Reporting of a Mixed Methods

Reporting of Mixed Methods (Continued …)

Conclusion

• Qualitative + Quantitative = Mixed Methods• Qualitative: subjective, perspective dependent• Quantitative: objective, neutral view of truth• Mixed: Captures “Truth” both ways• Sequential or Concurrent• Full or Partial• Dominant or Non-dominant

ReferencesBorkan, J. M. (2004). Mixed Methods Studies : A Foundation, 4–6. doi:10.1370/afm.111.wo

Onwuegbuzie, A. J., & Turner, L. A. (2007). Toward a Definition of Mixed Methods Research. Journal of Mixed Methods Research, 1(2), 112–133. doi:10.1177/1558689806298224Leech, N. L., & Onwuegbuzie, A. J. (2007). A typology of mixed methods research designs. Quality & Quantity, 43(2), 265–275. doi:10.1007/s11135-007-9105-3

Lingard, L., Albert, M., & Levinson, W. (2008). Grounded theory , mixed methods , and action research, 337(August), 459–461. doi:10.1136/bmj.39602.690162.47

O’Cathain, A., Murphy, E., & Nicholl, J. (2007). Why, and how, mixed methods research is undertaken in health services research in England: a mixed methods study. BMC health services research, 7, 85. doi:10.1186/1472-6963-7-85

Sale, J. E. M., & Brazil, K. (2002). Revisiting the Quantitative-Qualitative Debate : Implications for Mixed-Methods Research, 43–53.