Qualitative and Quantitative Research Methods

In the field of healthcare, keeping up to date with available research is not only essential
but also mandatory. The primary considerations that underlie this statement are the relative
benefit that a practitioner in the healthcare industry can enjoy, subject to being conversant with
the existing research. Research can help a practicing healthcare worker to gain a better
understanding of the management of the conditions that his or her patients have, can benefit their
career, or even earn their trust or practice funds to engage in further research. An integral part of
any investigation is data. Data is used in the making sense of the findings of the study; it is only
through the analysis of collected data that we can make conclusions on our area of study. Two
principal methods of research exist, qualitative and quantitative.
Qualitative research methods are primarily based on exploratory research with a view
towards gaining an understanding of the underlying reasons, opinions, and motivations seen in
research. The research method provides insights into the problem while helping the researchers
to develop ideas or hypotheses that may subsequently be used for quantitative research.
Quantitative research, on the other hand, quantifies the problem by generating numerical data or
data that can be transformed into useable statistics. Primarily, quantitative research is used to
quantify attitudes, behaviors, opinions, and any other definable variables. The sample data
collected in quantitative research is then generalized and taken as the results for a larger
population. While both research methods have their distinct advantages and disadvantages, they
are very handy in research.
In the paper The humanization of healthcare: A value framework for qualitative research,
the authors, Professors Les Todres, Kathleen T. Galvin, and Immy Holloway address how
qualitative research can be applied in the humanization of healthcare. Humanization of

RESEARCH METHODS 3
healthcare has proven to be a relevant concern lately, with the new shift towards regarding
patients as more than statistics (Todres, Galvin, & Holloway, 2009). Through the illumination of
people’s perspectives and the experiences that it provides, the authors contend that qualitative
research contributes useful evidence for caring practices. Aptly, they apply qualitative research
methods to come up with eight philosophically informed dimensions of humanization that
together form a framework (Todres, Galvin, & Holloway, 2009). The framework can then be
used in the application of qualitative research for policy making, curricula in professional
education, and as a way to meaningfully translate into practice ways that put people, as human
beings, at the center of healthcare.
In the research article on Eliminating Waste in US Health Care, the authors Donald M.
Berwick and Andrew D. Hackbarth contend that with the ever increasing health care costs,
eliminating waste is a sure way to bring the costs down to a sustainable range for both public and
private payers. The authors identify common programs used in cost cutting, including reductions
in payment levels, benefit structures, and eligibility (Berwick & Hackbarth, 2012). Noting that
most of these methods affect value-added care, they propose an alternative, less harmful method,
elimination of waste. From their point of view, the healthcare system can cut down on
unnecessary spending by doing away with wastages in the processes they use. As evidence, they
cite some figures that they arrived upon through quantitatively researching the state of healthcare
in the US. From the numbers, it is revealed that if waste was eliminated in just six categories,
namely overtreatment, failures in execution of care processes, administrative complexity, failures
of care coordination, pricing failures, and fraud and abuse, costs of healthcare would go down at
least 20% (Berwick & Hackbarth, 2012). Therefore, they come to the conclusion that the
elimination of waste is a better way to effect cost cuts in healthcare.

RESEARCH METHODS 4
From the two research articles, I found the article with qualitative data to be easier to
understand. The reasons for this are that the qualitative offered more insights into the problem
without forcing me to go through numerical data. If I had to write a research paper, I would use
both quantitative and qualitative methods. As previously stated, the qualitative approach will
ensure I can give the readers of the investigation paper more insights into my study. Moreover,
the qualitative method is also good at ensuring that readers can get a real sense of my
understanding of the subject matter. Quantitative data usually makes use of numerical data.
Statistical data has the quality of being measurable and thus will give credence to the research
finding. In all, what method one prefers is dependent on a variety of factors including the
intended audience, their level of understanding of the subject matter, and even the discipline.

RESEARCH METHODS 5

12345 Winner’s Road
New Haven, VA 12345
April 22, 2016
The Honorable Bob Goodlatte
2240 Rayburn House Office Building
The United States House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515-4606

Re: Understaffing in Neonatal Clinics

Dear Representative Bob Goodlatte:
As a nurse and a constituent, I am concerned about the potential impact of the shortage of staff in
neonatal clinics in and around the New Haven Town in Virginia. With the recent rise in
healthcare costs, most hospitals including Virginia Central Medical Center where I work have
had to reduce the number of staff nurses on the payroll. As a result, the nurse to patient ratio is
exceedingly large, putting immense pressure on the available nurses, and making it harder for
them to give maximum attention to the patients under their care.
The short staffing experienced at my place of work has caused problems and stress for other
nurses and I. Due to understaffing, most nurses, including myself, have had to take up more roles
and responsibilities. Subsequently, we have much more to do than we can ever hope to cover
during the normal duration of our shifts. This has resulted in increased strain and stress to the
workers. Also, compared to how the situation was before the staff cuts occurred, it has become
extremely difficult to give personalized care to any patients since our resources are spread so
thin. Consequently, we are experiencing more cases of patient discontent over the quality of care
they receive at our facilities.
The community has also suffered dire consequences from the understaffing. The hospital has
taken up the hiring of unlicensed nurses, who take up fewer funds in salaries, but are not as
qualified. For this reason, the quality of care that most patients receive at our facility has gone
down remarkably. Furthermore, there have been significantly more cases of workplace accidents
since the retrenchment exercise began. While are no definitive studies on the matter, the
consensus is that stress and fatigue are contributing, at least in part, to the accidents.
To conclude, understaffing at healthcare institutions is proving to be quite a challenge to the
nurses who have to bear the extra burden. Even more importantly, without a safe nurse to patient
ratio, it proves difficult to give patients optimal care. Federal investment in increasing the
numbers of nurses available at our hospitals would be beneficial to our district, and to the nation.
Please make the staffing of medical and health centers a higher priority for our country by
continuing the investment in the hiring and training of nurses. Thank you for your consideration,
and please feel free to contact me if you would like to discuss this issue further.

RESEARCH METHODS 6

Sincerely, 
Your Name
Your Title
Your Address
Your City, State, Zip
Your Phone Number 

RESEARCH METHODS 7

References

Berwick, D. M., & Hackbarth, A. D. (2012). Eliminating waste in US health care. Jama,
307(14), 1513-1516.
Rogowski, J. A., Staiger, D. O., Patrick, T. E., Horbar, J. D., Kenny, M. J., & Lake, E. T. (2015).
Nurse staffing in neonatal intensive care units in the United States. Research in nursing
& health, 38(5), 333-341.
Todres, L., Galvin, K., & Holloway, I. (2009). The humanization of healthcare: A value
framework for qualitative research. International Journal Of Qualitative Studies On
Health And Well-Being, 4(2). http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/qhw.v4i2.5003