La investigación cualitativa: ¿un desencuentro con las ciencias de la salud?

Abstract

Qualitative research has been a method used mainly in humanities and social sciences. This paper draws upon the definition of qualitative research, and various aspects related to it are discussed, including human behavior, awareness, dialogue, participation, the importance of everyday life, history, subjective reality and care and relationships with others. Additionally, the notion of health is primarily addressed from an approach that looks at the human being and their determinants of health. Reference is made to the prioritization of the quantitative method, of the biological approach from health, relating concepts such as primary health care, health promotion and public health. The paper also includes a reflection on the importance for health sciences to address the human being as the object of their knowledge, so that it is possible to understand their culture, customs, history, language and even their gestures, in order that the results of judicious research work have an echo in people, their family group and communities and to make it possible to recover common sense and achieve relevant research results.