Abstract
BackgroundAs research in family medicine covers varied topics, multiple methodologies such as qualitative research (QR) and mixed methods research (MMR) are crucial. However, we do not know about the difference in the proportion of QR or MMR between Japan, the UK and the US. This knowledge is needed to shape future research within countries with developing primary care such as Japan and other Asian countries. This study aims to describe the use of QR and MMR in Japanese primary care and compare this to the UK and US; then to make informed recommendations for primary care research.MethodsA repeated cross-sectional study (2012–2016) based on the abstracts submitted to the annual conferences of the Japanese Primary Care Association in Japan, the Royal College of General Practitioners in the UK, and the North American Primary Care Research Group in the US and other North American countries. The proportions of QR/MMR among all the posters and paper presentations for each of these three conferences were assessed. Also examined were trends and types of qualitative techniques for all three countries and participants/settings for Japan.ResultsThere were 1080 abstracts for Japan, 575 for UK and 3614 for US conferences. QR/MMR proportions were 7.5%, 15.1% and 28.1%, respectively. Japan’s proportion was lower than that of UK and US (p < 0.001). The proportion was increasing over time for the UK (p = 0.02). Steps for coding and analyses was most popular for Japan, thematic analysis for the UK and grounded theory for the US. Primary care doctors and hospitals were the commonest contexts for Japan.ConclusionsQR and MMR were not as popular in primary care in Japan compared to the UK and the US, whereas their use was increasing in the UK. Approaches, participants and settings may differ among these countries. Education and promotion of QR/MMR and multi-disciplinary collaborations need to be recommended in Japan with developing primary care.
Highlights
As research in family medicine covers varied topics, multiple methodologies such as qualitative research (QR) and mixed methods research (MMR) are crucial
QR and MMR were more often used in nursing disciplines compared to medicine [2], QR and MMR are indispensable for family medicine
The total proportions of QR and MMR were 7.5 (n = 81, 95% CI 5.9, 9.1), 15.1% (n = 87, 95% CI 12.2, 18.5) and 28.1% (n = 1016, 95% CI 19.0, 21.7) for the conferences of the Japan Primary Care Association (JPCA), Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) and North American Primary Care Group (NAPCRG), respectively for the study period
Summary
As research in family medicine covers varied topics, multiple methodologies such as qualitative research (QR) and mixed methods research (MMR) are crucial. We do not know about the difference in the proportion of QR or MMR between Japan, the UK and the US This knowledge is needed to shape future research within countries with developing primary care such as Japan and other Asian countries. The reason is that family medicine is, according to Miller and Crabtree, “a clinical domain where balancing qualitative and quantitative research styles benefits both patients and health care professionals” Research in family medicine encompasses a variety of topics so that multiple methodologies are crucial [3]. In Japan, family medicine has not been well established, where physicians who received an internal medicine based training program have played a principal role in the primary care setting [6] and the system of certification for family physicians as a new category of specialist has just established since 2017 by an independent third-party organization [7]
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