质性方法在卫生政策和管理研究中的应用

The Application of Qualitative Methods in Health Policy and Management Research

本文通过描述深度访谈、焦点小组和参与观察这三种常见的方法,从而向有兴趣的中国学者介绍质性研究。作者阐述了为何质性研究设计对于某些课题具有优势,以及不同质性研究方法的优缺点。一般来说,参与式观察被用于特定情境下的案例研究,而访谈和焦点小组则被用来研究地理位置分散的社会群体的主观观点,但是这些方法往往同时用于单个研究中。尽管许多质性研究旨在探索研究对象的观点,但卫生政策和管理研究通常更关注卫生组织实践以及组织"黑匣子"内部的情况。本文介绍了对数据进行归纳分析的主要手段;总结了对访谈或焦点小组笔录及参与观察现场笔记进行主题分析的基础知识;讨论了质性研究人员如何致力于解决读者对此类研究信度和效度问题的传统关注。由于质性研究者与被研究者在现场会建立一定的联系并持续接触,这对研究提出了独特的伦理要求,本文也对此类问题进行了思考。

This article provides interested Chinese scholars with an introduction to qualitative research by describing the three common methods of in-depth interviews,focus groups and participant observation.It explains reasons why a qualitative research design may bring advantages when examining certain research topics,and the strengths and limitations of the different methods.Traditionally participant observation has been used for case studies of particular settings,while interviews and focus groups have been employed to examine the views of geographically-dispersed social groups,but the methods are often used in a single study at the same time.Although much qualitative research aims to explore the subjective perspectives of subjects,studies of policy and management-related topics are often more concerned with investigating organizational practices and what goes on inside the'black box'of the organization.The paper introduces the main approaches to inductive analysis of data and describes the basics of thematic analysis of interview or focus group transcripts and participant observation field notes.It discusses how qualitative researchers attend to orthodox concerns with reliability and validity,sometimes reframing these concepts to write of replicability and credibility.Finally,consideration is given to the distinctive ethical problems that arise in qualitative research,notably because of the nature of field relations and sustained contact with research participants.