Members of this group may be interested in a report recently published by NHS Quality Improvement Scotland:
“A guide to synthesising qualitative research for researchers undertaking health technology assessments and systematic reviews”
The report is available from this website:
http://www.nhshealthquality.org/nhsqis/files/HTA_MethodsofSynthesisingQualitativeLiterature_DEC10.pdf
Further details of the project are given below:
Background
There is growing consensus that the needs, preferences and experiences of patients should be taken into account in the development and evaluation of new health technologies or service delivery models. It is also acknowledged that such a patient-centred approach should also be extended to HTAs and systematic reviews.
There are several ways of ensuring that the views of patients can be incorporated into HTA and systematic reviews. One way is through identifying and bringing together (synthesising) the relevant research evidence from a variety of individual qualitative studies. While the results from one qualitative study may be difficult to generalise, a syntheses of all the relevant qualitative studies on the same topic can identify a range of common themes as well as any divergent views. Qualitative studies typically use focus groups and/or interviews to gather experiential data from patients and other health service users. Such information can be particularly useful in understanding the barriers and facilitators to the delivery or implementation of new technologies in practice. Qualitative studies, by highlighting the patient perspective, can also help to explain why health and/or social care interventions may be more (or less) effective in some population groups than others.
Details of what the report covers
The report has been developed in collaboration with colleagues at the University of Stirling to provide those producing and using HTAs with a guide to the methods used to synthesis qualitative research. It provides an overview of the main methods with links to further information as an introduction to this specialist area rather than a step-by-step guide. It describes the most frequently cited methods used to identify and synthesise qualitative evidence and provides examples of how they have been applied in health and/or social care settings. It also discusses the debates and issues surrounding the synthesis of evidence from qualitative studies, such as quality assessment of included papers. It provides a guide for those developing or using HTA reports on the appropriateness of the methods for different types of review and where to find more detailed guidance on how to undertake such syntheses.
Use of the report
We hope the report will provide those new to HTA or new to the inclusion of patient and public needs and preferences, with sufficient information to know when to seek specialist expertise in the use of qualitative research evidence.
It is also hoped that the report will prove a useful introductory text to synthesising qualitative evidence for other purposes, and for students and those trained in quantitative disciplines who wish to know more about this area of research.
Karen Macpherson
Senior Health Services Researcher
NHS Quality Improvement Scotland
Delta House
50 West Nile Street
Glasgow
G1 2NP
Tel: 0141 225 6862
Fax: 0141 248 3778
Website: www.nhshealthquality.org
We’re changing
NHS Quality Improvement Scotland will become Healthcare Improvement Scotland on 1 April 2011.
For more information click http://www.nhshealthquality.org/nhsqis/9037.html
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