| RESEARCH AND AUDIT |
|
| Year : 2015 | Volume
: 4
| Issue : 3 | Page : 324-327 |
|
|
Validity, reliability, and generalizability in qualitative research
Lawrence Leung
Department of Family Medicine and Centre of Studies in Primary Care, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
Correspondence Address:
Lawrence Leung
Centre of Studies in Primary Care, Queen's University, 220 Bagot Street, Kingston, ON K7L 5E9
Canada
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/2249-4863.161306
|
|
|
In general practice, qualitative research contributes as significantly as quantitative research, in particular regarding psycho-social aspects of patient-care, health services provision, policy setting, and health administrations. In contrast to quantitative research, qualitative research as a whole has been constantly critiqued, if not disparaged, by the lack of consensus for assessing its quality and robustness. This article illustrates with five published studies how qualitative research can impact and reshape the discipline of primary care, spiraling out from clinic-based health screening to community-based disease monitoring, evaluation of out-of-hours triage services to provincial psychiatric care pathways model and finally, national legislation of core measures for children's healthcare insurance. Fundamental concepts of validity, reliability, and generalizability as applicable to qualitative research are then addressed with an update on the current views and controversies. |
|
|
|
| [FULL TEXT] [PDF]* |
|
 |
|
