Why, and how, mixed methods research is undertaken in health services research in England: a mixed methods study

While health services researchers are using mixed methods research in large-scale studies with “big data” and incorporating data transformation for merging qualitative and quantitative data sets, these developments are not widely known to the broader mixed methods research community. Our purpose in this article is to introduce health services research to the broader mixed methods audience, to examine the potential for novel innovations in mixed methods research procedures, and to illustrate these points through a project on care management that used a convergent mixed methods design. In addition to traditional analytical procedures, we illustrate two qualitative to quantitative data transformation procedures, one using normalization process theory and a second, fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis.

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Advancing discussion of ethics in mixed methods health services research

BMC Health Services Research ◽

10.1186/s12913-021-06583-1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Nicole A. Stadnick ◽

Cheryl N. Poth ◽

Timothy C. Guetterman ◽

Joseph J. Gallo

Keyword(s):

Mixed Methods ◽

Health Services Research ◽

Health Services ◽

Research Ethics ◽

Mixed Methods Research ◽

Online Survey ◽

Ethical Issues ◽

Research Training ◽

Services Research ◽

Research Issues

Abstract Background To describe the ethical issues and experiences of scientists conducting mixed methods health services research and to advance empirical and conceptual discussion on ethical integrity in mixed methods health research. Methods The study was conducted with 64 scholars, faculty and consultants from the NIH-funded Mixed Methods Research Training Program (MMRTP) for the Health Sciences. This was a cross-sectional study. Survey results were analyzed using descriptive statistics to characterize responses and open coding to summarize strategies about eight ethical mixed methods research issues. Respondents completed an online survey to elicit experiences related to eight ethical issues (informed consent, confidentiality, data management, burden, safety, equitable recruitment, communication, and dissemination) and strategies for addressing them. Results Only about one-third of respondents thought their research ethics training helped them plan, conduct, or report mixed methods research. The most frequently occurring ethical issues were participant burden, dissemination and equitable recruitment (> 70% endorsement). Despite occurring frequently, < 50% of respondents rated each ethical issue as challenging. The most challenging ethical issues were related to managing participant burden, communication, and dissemination. Strategies reported to address ethical issues were largely not specific or unique to mixed methods with the exception of strategies to mitigate participant burden and, to a lesser degree, to facilitate equitable recruitment and promote dissemination of project results. Conclusions Mixed methods health researchers reported encountering ethical issues often yet varying levels of difficulty and effectiveness in the strategies used to mitigate ethical issues. This study highlights some of the unique challenges faced by mixed methods researchers to plan for and appropriately respond to arising ethical issues such as managing participant burden and confidentiality across data sources and utilizing effective communication and dissemination strategies particularly when working with a multidisciplinary research team. As one of the first empirical studies to examine mixed methods research ethics, our findings highlight the need for greater attention to ethics in health services mixed methods research and training.

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Using mixed methods in health services research: A review of the literature and case study

Journal of Health Services Research & Policy ◽

10.1177/1355819620955223 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 135581962095522

Author(s):

Maarten de Haan ◽

Yvonne van Eijk-Hustings ◽

Hubertus JM Vrijhoef

Keyword(s):

Mixed Methods ◽

Health Services Research ◽

Health Services ◽

The Netherlands ◽

Mixed Methods Research ◽

Quality Criteria ◽

Task Shifting ◽

Services Research ◽

Narrative Literature Review

Objective To provide an overview of the challenges of conducting mixed methods research (MMR) in the context of health services research (HSR) and to discuss a case study example of the triangulation procedures used in a MMR study on task-shifting in the Netherlands. Method A narrative literature review of publications between January 2000 and February 2020 on the use of mixed methods in the context of HSR and a description of the triangulation procedures in an HSR study with a MMR design on task shifting in the Netherlands. Results The narrative review identified eight challenges. Those related to publishing and appraisal of MMR within HSR were most frequently reported (e.g. ‘lack of MMR examples’, ‘lack of recognition’ and ‘triangulation issues’). Also, practical problems for conducting MMR within HSR were identified (e.g. ‘lack or resources’, ‘teamwork’ and ‘lack of quality criteria’). Methodological challenges (e.g. ‘sampling’ and ‘paradigm wars’) were less frequently reported as a challenge. Conclusion While increasing in popularity, there remain a range of challenges for the design, conduct and reporting of MMR designs in HSR. Using a triangulation protocol can potentially help address some of these challenges.

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