Ateneo - UPO

Qualitative health research

Denise F. Polit, Cheryl Tatano Beck – Fondamenti di Ricerca Infermieristica. Ed. Mc Graw Hill, Milano 2014. Edizione Italiana a cura di Alvisa Palese

Articoli:
- Luciani, M., Jack, S., Campbell, K., Orr, E., Durepos, P., Li, L., et al. (2019). An Introduction to Qualitative Health Research. PROFESSIONI INFERMIERISTICHE, 72(1), 60-68.
- Luciani, M., Campbell, K., Tschirhart, H., Ausili, D., Jack, S. (2019). How to Design a Qualitative Health Research Study. Part 1: Design and Purposeful Sampling Considerations. PROFESSIONI INFERMIERISTICHE, 72(2), 152-161.
- Luciani, M., Orr, E., Campbell, K., Nguyen, L., Ausili, D., Jack, S. (2019). How to Design a Qualitative Health Research Study. Part 2: Data Generation and Analysis Considerations. PROFESSIONI INFERMIERISTICHE, 72(3), 221-231.
- Luciani, M., Campbell, K., Whitmore, C., Di Mauro, S., Jack, S. (2019). How to critically appraise a qualitative health research study. PROFESSIONI INFERMIERISTICHE, 72(4), 283-293.

At the end of the course, the student will be able to:
- Understand the contribution of qualitative research in the healthcare field.
- Familiarize themselves with the main study designs of qualitative research, with particular emphasis on those used in the healthcare field.
- Formulate a research question for qualitative research and query major databases to retrieve relevant literature.
- Understand the main methods of data collection and analysis in a qualitative study.
- Identify the elements that ensure methodological rigor in qualitative research.
- Critically read a qualitative study.

The students should have sufficient knowledge and skills to understand written English.

Presentation with PowerPoint, group work, individual study.

Some learning outcomes will also be evaluated in the internship project of the 1st year (research project).

The exam will consist of a written test and an oral examination.

The written test will consist of 32 questions, mostly multiple-choice, for a total of 24 points. The written test aims to assess the student's knowledge in the research process, the structure of a scientific article, the publication process, evidence-based practice, major study designs, the functioning of the internet and online research. Additionally, it will evaluate the student's ability to read and understand the results of a scientific article (the article text will be provided before the test to allow sufficient time for reading).

The student will be able to take the oral examination only if they have achieved an overall score of at least 60% of the total expected points.

The duration of the written test will be 40 minutes.

The oral examination will assess the student's ability to apply the acquired knowledge through critical reading of a scientific article of specific nursing interest (quantitative/qualitative literature, primary/secondary sources). The oral examination will be considered successful if the candidate demonstrates sufficient knowledge of theoretical concepts as well as adequate critical understanding of a scientific article (e.g., correct identification of the research question based on abstract reading, proper interpretation of result tables, forest plot, conducting a qualitative study, etc.).

Failure to pass the oral examination will require the repetition of the entire exam (written and oral). To achieve a score of 30/30 with honors, the student must demonstrate an excellent understanding of all the topics covered during the course.

- Paradigm and objectives of qualitative research (main differences with quantitative research)
- Main qualitative research designs, with particular reference to the healthcare field
- Definition of a qualitative research question.
- Methodological elements of qualitative studies (main data collection and analysis methods)
- Dimensions defining the rigor of qualitative research
- Critical evaluation of qualitative research (tools for critical appraisal)

Here are the expected learning outcomes of this training module:

Knowledge and understanding:

Identify the differences between the quantitative and qualitative research paradigms.
Describe different qualitative study designs, particularly those used in the healthcare field.
Identify the components of a qualitative research question.
Describe the main methods of data collection and analysis in qualitative research.
Identify methodological aspects that ensure rigor in qualitative research.
These knowledge and understanding outcomes are acquired during theoretical lessons and classroom exercises, and they are assessed through the written exam.

Applying knowledge and understanding:

Formulate a qualitative research question and effectively query major biomedical literature databases.
Critically read a qualitative study.
Contribute to the development of a simple qualitative research protocol.
These application skills are acquired during classroom exercises and are partially assessed through the written exam and partially through the research internship project.

Making judgments:

Identify the contribution that qualitative research can make in the healthcare field.
Evaluate organizational, educational, and healthcare issues suitable for developing a qualitative research project.
This judgment skill is acquired during classroom exercises and the research internship project.