Qualitative Research Studies
Qualitative research studies are used to examine specific experiences as lived through the eyes of a certain patient or population. Qualitative data is often narrative and involves biased and subjective information with the goal of understanding the human experience (Polit & Beck, 2018). The data is often collected using focus groups, interviews, or observation (Dodd, 2008). Qualitative researchers believe that there is more to experiences than what can be captured quantitatively. Results are numerical only in study population descriptions, i.e. percentage of males and females in the study, but the specific study results are often narrative and include word tables and descriptions (Polit & Beck, 2018). A qualitative study I would be interested in is women’s opinions on the understanding of hormone replacement therapy and their views of their providers’ understanding, teaching, and readiness to prescribe. Another one would be women’s attitude and understanding of hormone replacement therapy using testosterone. This is a similar area to my PICOT and also something I have struggled to find answers for as a patient as well. It would be interesting to see what other women’s views and experiences are as well.
