Q UANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE METHODS

Imagine that you are given a piece of paper. Say that it is a bank note and it has SR 500 printed on it. You can look at this object from a number of perspectives (qualitative and quantitative) depending on who you are and how you are positioned in relation to this object: If you are a person from a remote tribe with no exposure to the use of bank notes, you might see it as a decorative object and value it as a curio. (Qualitative.) If you are a person having financial difficulties, £100 would be seen as a means of improving your quality of life; for instance, allowing you to buy food or cover outstanding bills. (Qualitative and quantitative.)

If you are an accountant, you would focus on the number printed on the bill for making fiscal calculations. (Quantitative.) If you are a counterfeiter (we hope not!), you would be intensely interested in the physical properties of the object, such as its length, width, colour, texture: details required for successful forgery. (Quantitative).

C ONTRASTING QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE METHODS

T HE RESEARCH PROCESS

S EQUENTIAL STEPS OF THE RESEARCH PROCESS

1. R ESEARCH PROBLEMS AND QUESTIONS The first step in the problem-solving process is to state clearly the problem that we are intending to solve. The problem must be realistic, one which can be solved with the resources at the researchers disposal. It is pointless, even unethical, to initiate research that cannot be completed

Having identified a problem, our next step is to ask the ‘right’ research question. A well-formulated research question will guide the research project in producing the evidence required to answer the question and to solve the research problem.

In the case of the paper by Epstein & Ogden (2005), the research problem was the lack of evidence concerning GPs’ views of their treatment approaches to obesity. The research question is: ‘How do general practitioners view the treatment of obesity?’ Therefore, the aim of the researchers was to obtain evidence to describe and understand GPs’ views.

2. P LANNING Research planning involves selecting appropriate strategies and data collection techniques to answer research questions and to test the research hypotheses. Research planning relies on detailed knowledge of previous research summarized in a literature review. Also, the plan should take into consideration ethical and economic factors before the appropriate data collection strategies are collected and the precise research aims are stated.

In addition, the planning process will take into account the target population and formulation of a sampling strategy to select the participants. In the present example, the population was defined as GPs working in London and the sample consisted of 21 GPs who consented to being interviewed for the study.

3. D ESIGN Research designs are clear statements of how the research data are to be collected in the study. Appropriate research designs will guide data collection suitable for answering the research question

In the study we are discussing, the design is described as qualitative research using semi- structured interviews. This design was appropriate for obtaining data pertinent to how GPs view the treatment of obesity.

4. D ATA COLLECTION The next step in the research process is the collection of data. We will examine data collection methods employed in health research.

5. O RGANIZATION AND PRESENTATION OF THE DATA Descriptive statistics are used to organize and summarize quantitative data. Examine basic concepts in this area, outlining how graphs and various descriptive statistics are used to condense and communicate research and clinical findings. In qualitative research, the results are often presented in the form of direct quotations of what was expressed.

In the study we are examining, the researchers provided a series of direct quotations of GPs’ understanding and management of their patients’ weight problems.

6. D ATA ANALYSIS The analysis of quantitative data involves applying the principles of probability for calculating confidence intervals and testing the research hypotheses. The presentation and analysis of qualitative data involves identifying key themes which provide insights into participants’ personal meanings of events and experiences.

The way in which GPs conceptualized their responsibility in the management of obese patients and the role of the patients in this process were two key themes which emerged from the interviews.

7. I NTERPRETATION OF THE EVIDENCE The next step in a research project is the interpretation of results. The evidence is used to answer the research question and may support existing theories or practices or suggest new techniques. It is rare that the findings from any single research project are completely definitive, and often the results may suggest the need for further investigation in related subject areas or contexts

In the discussion section, the authors reported that the GPs conceptualized obesity in terms of patient responsibility. It was suggested that future research was required to resolve an apparent conflict between the understanding of GPs and patients views of the management of obesity.

8. E VALUATION AND DISSEMINATION OF THE RESULTS For research to be meaningful, investigators must present their results in professional journals and at conferences. Epstein and Ogden disseminated their results by publishing their findings in the British Journal of General Practice.

T HE STRUCTURE OF A RESEARCH PAPER