Basis for a Qualitative Research Project: Qualitative Approaches to Health Studies

Abstract

This article presents qualitative approaches in the field of health. An approach considers the theoretical concepts, the interpretative framework from which the research is conducted and the method used to conduct the research. I distinguish between primary studies, in which researchers obtain and analyse data, from secondary studies, in which researchers operate with studies that have already been carried out. The approaches to primary studies that I present here are the most widely used in the field of health, i.e.: ethnography, grounded theory, phenomenology, and action research. Since systematic reviews or secondary studies, have developed strongly in recent decades, I devote a section to meta-synthesis, a type of qualitative systematic review.With this article, I aim to introduce you to diverse ways of undertaking a qualitative study, so that you can discern between them and, if necessary, make an informed choice for a project. However, implementing it will require further study and, in the case of a secondary study, also previous research experience.Approaches are tools for answering research questions, as shown by the exercise I propose at the end of the article. This exercise will let you to consolidate what you have learned.