Understanding the value of mixed methods research: the Children's Safety Initiative-Emergency Medical Services

Hansen, Matthew; OʼBrien, Kerth; Meckler, Garth; Chang, Anna Marie; Guise, Jeanne Marie

doi:10.1136/emermed-2015-205277

Cited by 16 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…The use of the mixed-methods approach in this study also led to further time-specific insights into the women's emotional experiences (29). The qualitative data helped to explain the women's reactions to the waiting period and the period following diagnosis.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Understanding Women’s Anxiety and Uncertainty attending a Rapid Diagnostic Clinic for Suspicious Breast Abnormality: A Mixed Methods Study

Maheu¹,

B²,

Wang³

et al. 2019

Preprint

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Background: Rapid diagnostic centres (RDC) for breast abnormality offer a speedier process from the discovery of a suspicious breast lump to same-day investigation and confirmation of a breast cancer diagnosis. Study purpose: We aim to assess the anxiety and uncertainty levels of women going through an RDC and explore women's needs for support during the diagnostic period. Methods:Thirteen women who attended an RDC in 2014 took part in a sequential mixed-method study to assess anxiety and uncertainty levels. Measures were taken at pre and post-testing, at three weeks following receipt of results followed by a semi-structured telephone interview. Results: The mixed data results mainly showed congruence between women scoring high on anxiety and uncertainty levels and their detailed descriptions of the experience as stressful. Overall, uncertainty and anxiety levels were above the clinical threshold while awaiting further testing. These levels remained high only for the subgroup found with cancer and remained high at the three-week mark. As for the benign group, anxiety was above cut-off before diagnosis (n=6), decreased to below clinical cut-off three days following diagnosis (n=0), and increased again above cut-off three weeks post-diagnosis (n=2).Discussion and Conclusion: While speedier testing may reduce waiting times to obtain further tests, results suggest that the period leading up to the day of testing is anxiety-provoking and marked with intense uncertainty. Results suggest the potential role of nurses to support waiting for patients with education and resources. These results illustrate the need for further investigation into psychological support options at RDCs. BackgroundDuring the diagnostic period, after a breast lump is discovered or a mammogram displays suspicious findings, women experience significant psychological distress including anxiety, uncertainty, and symptoms of acute stress reaction (1-4). A systematic review of thirty research studies with large sample sizes examining the presence of anxiety levels in the diagnostic period for women with suspected with breast cancer found that on average, there were 8-50% that experienced high levels of anxiety (5). The high anxiety was also found to persist throughout the diagnostic evaluation until certitude was achieved through the establishment of the definitive diagnosis (6). Such high levels of

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Understanding Women’s Anxiety and Uncertainty attending a Rapid Diagnostic Clinic for Suspicious Breast Abnormality: A Mixed Methods Study

Maheu¹,

B²,

Wang³

et al. 2019

Preprint

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“…We would argue that these areas are as important as ‘standard’ research using qualitative methods. First, there are many examples of the benefits of mixed methods research in gaining a fuller understanding of a phenomenon (see, eg, Yardley and Bishop, 2015), and in helping ‘to characterise complex healthcare systems, identify the mechanisms of complex problems […] and understand aspects of human interaction such as communication, behaviour and team performance’ (Hansen et al , 2016). Second, publications that focus on qualitative methodology are important in advancing the field, taking advantage of new areas and encouraging the conduct of high-quality research.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Where does good quality qualitative health care research get published?

Richardson

Liddle

2017

Prim Health Care Res Dev

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SummaryThis short report aims to give some insight into current publication patterns for high quality qualitative health research, using the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2014 database. We explored patterns of publication by range and type of journal, by date and by methodological focus. We also looked at variations between the publications submitted to different Units of Assessment (UoAs), focusing particularly on the one most closely aligned with our own research area of Primary Care. Our brief analysis demonstrates that general medical/health journals with high impact factors are the dominant routes of publication, but there is variation according to the methodological approach adopted by articles. The number of qualitative health articles submitted to REF 2014 overall was small, and even more so for articles based on mixed methods research, qualitative methodology, or reviews/syntheses that included qualitative articles.

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“…A major limitation of mixed methods is the increased time taken to complete the overall study, particularly with sequential designs (Hansen, O'Brien, Meckler, Chang and Guise, 2016). This must be considered early in the development phase because data collection, analysis and interpretation of two or more studies takes a significant amount of time.…”

Section: Limitations Of Mixed Methods Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Individual researchers may not have the skill set to undertake a mixed methods study and therefore additional researchers may be required to assist with the project (Hansen, O'Brien, Meckler, Chang and Guise, 2016).…”

Section: Limitations Of Mixed Methods Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mixed methods in pre-hospital research: understanding complex clinical problems

Whitley

Munro

Hemingway

et al. 2020

British Paramedic Journal

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Healthcare is becoming increasingly complex. The pre-hospital setting is no exception, especially when considering the unpredictable environment. To address complex clinical problems and improve quality of care for patients, researchers need to use innovative methods to create the necessary depth and breadth of knowledge. Quantitative approaches such as randomised controlled trials and observational (e.g. cross-sectional, case control, cohort) methods, along with qualitative approaches including interviews, focus groups and ethnography, have traditionally been used independently to gain understanding of clinical problems and how to address these. Both approaches, however, have drawbacks: quantitative methods focus on objective, numerical data and provide limited understanding of context, whereas qualitative methods explore more subjective aspects and provide perspective, but can be harder to demonstrate rigour. We argue that mixed methods research, where quantitative and qualitative methods are integrated, is an ideal solution to comprehensively understand complex clinical problems in the pre-hospital setting.The aim of this article is to discuss mixed methods in the field of pre-hospital research, highlight its strengths and limitations and provide examples. This article is tailored to clinicians and early career researchers and covers the basic aspects of mixed methods research. We conclude that mixed methods is a useful research design to help develop our understanding of complex clinical problems in the pre-hospital setting.

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Understanding the value of mixed methods research: the Children's Safety Initiative-Emergency Medical Services

Cited by 16 publications

References 24 publications

Understanding Women’s Anxiety and Uncertainty attending a Rapid Diagnostic Clinic for Suspicious Breast Abnormality: A Mixed Methods Study

Understanding Women’s Anxiety and Uncertainty attending a Rapid Diagnostic Clinic for Suspicious Breast Abnormality: A Mixed Methods Study

Where does good quality qualitative health care research get published?

Mixed methods in pre-hospital research: understanding complex clinical problems

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