Qualitative Research Findings Research Articles

'I only eat because I have to-to live': The impacts of dysphagia on quality of life from the perspectives of people with dysphagia, supporters of people with dysphagia and allied health professionals.

A recent literature review identified that past research has described the impacts of dysphagia on quality of life; but there is limited research on these impacts from the perspective of people with dysphagia, their supporters and allied health professionals. Recent qualitative research has provided details about these perspectives, but researchers have also called for verification of these findings with a larger group of participants. To expand upon the findings of the prior qualitative research on the views of people with dysphagia, supporters of people with dysphagia,and allied health professionals on the impacts of dysphagia and texture-modified food on quality of life. An online survey of adults with dysphagia (n = 30), supporters of people with dysphagia (n = 4) and allied health professionals (n = 18) was conducted between November 2021 and February 2022. Categorical questions were analysed descriptively and open-ended questions were analysed for content categories of meaning. Participants with dysphagia reported that dysphagia and texture-modified foods had a greater impact on their physical health than on their choice and control or social engagement. Supporters and allied health professionals viewed that dysphagia impacted the physical health and their choice and control of people with dysphagia. Across groups, participants considered that mealtime enjoyment, participation, and inclusion were influenced by the control the person had over their meals, the accessibility of the mealtime environment, and the attitudes of others. Dysphagia and its interventions negatively impact quality of life for people with dysphagia. People with dysphagia were the most affected by the physical impacts of dysphagia. Their perspectives contrasted with those of supporters and allied health professionals in some domains, highlighting the need for people with dysphagia to be included in research. Future research exploring how these perspectives are integrated into person-centred dysphagia management is warranted. What is already known on the subject Recent qualitative research has provided insights into the impacts of dysphagia on quality of life from the perspective of people with dysphagia, supporters of people with dysphagia, and allied health professionals. However, the small scale of these studies means that further research is needed with a larger group of people with dysphagia, supporters of people with dysphagia, and allied health professionals. What this paper adds to existing knowledge This paper verifies and extends upon the findings of prior qualitive research on the views of people with dysphagia, supporters of people with dysphagia, and allied health professionals on the impacts of dysphagia and its interventions on quality of life, participation, and inclusion. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? This research shows the importance of supporters of people with dysphagia and allied health professionals discussing mealtime quality of life with the person with dysphagia so that their perspectives are considered in the mealtime decision-making process. Furthermore, people with dysphagia should be able to specify strategies they want to trial to enhance their mealtime participation and inclusion.

Creating or destroying value for users? Lessons about activation from qualitative studies in Norway and Denmark

ABSTRACT This article contributes to a growing stream of research on service co-creation and users’ experiences and use of activation services. In public management research, the idea of a public service logic has gained increasing prominence. A key point is that a better understanding of what a service genuinely is, has implications for how to develop more user-centric and efficient services. This article applies a public service logic in a critical interpretive synthesis of qualitative research findings regarding users’ experiences with activation services in Denmark and Norway. It shows that activation services are necessarily co-created, as users contribute resources to co-create services. Only users can transform these services into individual value, helping them in their process towards work. Services made by utilizing users’ resources but not answering to users’ needs may destroy individual value. Some activation services tend to contribute more to individual value creation than other services, but most services can contribute to both value creation and destruction, depending on users’ needs and circumstances. Public services must also create public value. Services users are obliged to participate in co-creating and which give priority to the creation of public value, such as clarifying eligibility for long term benefits often lead to the destruction of individual value. Taking users’ co-creation of service as a starting point in the design of and research on activation services will contribute to provide more user-centric services, increase the priority given to creation of individual over public value and thereby improve the outcome of activation policy.

Exploring the career challenges of female tour guides in the Sri Lankan travel and tourism industry: Social Role Theory perspective

This paper aims to understand what barriers have resulted in the poor representation of female tour guides in the Sri Lankan travel and tourism industry. The study's design employed a qualitative approach to gain in-depth insights into the experiences of female tour guides, utilising thematic analysis as the analytical strategy. Three main themes emerged from the qualitative research findings of the interviewed female national tour guides: the feminine gender identity of female tour guides, the gender role of women, and gender stereotypes. Firstly, the feminine gender identity of female tour guides presents how femininity contradicts the tour guide's occupational role in the Sri Lankan context. Secondly, gender stereotypes prevalent in familial, work, and broader societal spheres hinder the success of female tour guides in their careers. Finally, socially constructed gender roles impose additional obstacles for women pursuing careers as tour guides. Consequently, these constraints impede women's fulfilment of their social role, creating a challenging atmosphere to be a female tour guide in Sri Lanka. This research suggested that it is the responsibility of government bodies to ensure equal opportunities for females to take up the tour guide occupation.

Transformational Leadership : The Power to Achieve School Effectivenesse

This study aims to identify the characteristics of effecive leadership and it influence on school effectiveness in the era of independent learning. To achieve these objectives, this study used an exploratory sequential mixed method. The initial phase on the research used qualitative methods, then the scond phase developed and subtantiated the initial findings widely using quantitative methods. A purposive sampling of 25 teachers was used to collect qualitative data. In the quantitative phase, a survey was conducted among 304 teachers in 59 public junior high schools in North Sumatra Province, Indonesia. The qualitative and quantitative research findings prove and support that transformational leadership is a force to realize school effectiveness in the era of independent learning. These characteristics of transformational leadership are (1) idealized influence, (2) inspirational motivation, (3) intellectual stimulation, and (4) individualized consideration. The idealized influence variable is the variable that most strongly influences school effectiveness by 41.1%; Individualized conciderance is the second most powerful variable affecting school effectiveness by 38.56%; inspiration motivation is the third most powerful variable affecting school effectiveness at 31.36%; intellectual stimulation is the fourth most powerful variable affecting school effectiveness by 17.22%.

A Study on Benefits and Challenges of Peer Teaching with Special Reference to Thrissur Corporation

With the aim of highlighting both the benefits and inherent challenges that peer teaching in educational contexts brings, this study investigates the complicated topic of peer teaching. Through a careful review of the body of research and empirical evidence, we explore how peer teaching impacts learners’ cognitive, social, and emotional development. Better academic outcomes, more self-esteem, and the growth of critical interpersonal skills are all benefits. Also covered in the study are the challenges of peer teaching, including issues with power dynamics, knowledge gaps, and potential conflicts. This study used a descriptive research style and included both quantitative and qualitative data. This study explores the efficacy of peer teaching strategies in various educational environments. Data was gathered from a sample of 138 students enrolled in various courses adopting peer teaching practice thorough mixed-methods analysis. The quantitative investigation revealed a considerable improvement in student learning results. The findings of qualitative research provided a nuanced viewpoint on the benefits and limitations of the peer teaching technique. The results suggest that instructors can improve learning outcomes and student engagement by implementing peer teaching strategies.

Putting Outcomes into Practice: The Implementation of a Framework of Outcome Measures within a Child and Family Service

Abstract Of utmost concern for effective child protection and child and family services is evidence-based practice. There is an onus of accountability on providers of therapeutic services to establish the merit and cost efficiency of their work. Developing standardised evidence-based outcome measures for children and families, towards which the service provider can strive, is assuredly required as a yardstick against which progress can be measured and modified. Yet, outcome measures will only work in conducive organisational conditions. Specifically, to operationalise a suite of outcome measures into a complex organisation, from administrative policy to grassroots practice, requires understanding of barriers and facilitators of implementation. Through funded research, we investigate these factors within the implementation of a new outcomes framework in a European child and family service. Following a literature review exercise, qualitative research findings from two focus groups targeted, respectively, at the managerial and front line practitioner level, illuminate complex conditions and underlying mechanisms, as well as attitudinal, resource and knowledge factors upon which implementation is predicated. We conclude with recommendations around establishing sustainable conditions and arrangements in organisations, to ensure outcome measures act as effective instruments, rather than costly and dispensable paper exercises.

Barriers and enablers of quality high-acuity neonatal care in sub-Saharan Africa: protocol for a synthesis of qualitative evidence

IntroductionNeonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in sub-Saharan Africa face limited resources and systemic challenges, resulting in poorer quality care, higher infant mortality, and dissatisfaction among both patients and healthcare workers....

Users' Experience of Public Cancer Screening Services: Qualitative Research Findings and Implications for Public Health System.

Following the One Health approach, designing multidimensional strategies to orient healthcare in promoting health and preventive processes has become paramount. In particular, in the prevention domain, cancer screening attendance is still unsatisfactory in many populations and requires specific consideration. To this end, following a research-intervention logic, this study aims to investigate the experiences and meanings that users of public cancer screening services associate with prevention, particularly participation in the screenings. The experiences of 103 users (96 females; Mage = 54.0; SD = 1.24) of public cancer screening programs in the Campania region (Italy) were collected through interviews. The data collected were analysed following the Grounded Theory Methodology, supported by the software Atlas.ti 8.0. The text material was organised into eight macro-categories: Health and Body; Relationship with Cancer and Diseases; Health Facilities and Health Providers; The Affective Determinants of Cancer Screening Participation; Partners and Children; Physical Sensations and Emotions in the Course of Action; Protective Actions; Promotion and Dissemination. The core category was named Family and Familiarity. Respondents perceived prevention as an act of care for the family and themselves. Our findings support a shift from the idea of taking care of personal health as an individual matter toward considering it as a community issue, according to which resistance to act is overcome for and through the presence of loved ones. The results of this study contribute to a deeper understanding of the perspectives of southern Italian users on participation in cancer screening, and provide important insights to guide future actions to promote these public programmes based primarily on the emerging theme of family and familiarity related to screening programs.

Disseminating Community-Engaged Research Involving People Experiencing Homelessness and Diabetes Using Participatory Theater.

People experiencing homelessness balance competing priorities resulting in reduced capacity to meet the care demands of chronic conditions, including Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). Arts-based performances present an avenue to expose others to these challenges. This article describes the process of incorporating qualitative research findings in a community-based participatory theater production to expose audiences to the day-to-day realities of living with T2DM while simultaneously experiencing homelessness. We conducted five focus groups and two individual interviews with people living with T2DM who had experienced homelessness with guidance from a community-engaged research team. We then collaborated with a local theater company to present common themes from these focus groups in a co-created play about the experience of managing T2DM while being homeless. We performed a staged reading of the play and assessed audience members' perceived stigma through a pre- and post-survey to determine if audience engagement within our theatrical production could reduce stigma toward individuals living with diabetes and/or people experiencing homelessness. This theatrical production is titled "Life Heist: Stealing Hope While Surviving Diabetes and Homelessness." Our work illustrates the feasibility and effectiveness of using participatory theater to disseminate qualitative research findings.

Motivation of U.S. High School Students in Learning Chinese

This study surveyed 217 American high school students’ motivational factors in learning Chinese and the factors that sustain their learning of this language. In addition, the perceptions of teachers and student focus groups were used to verify, explain and expand the survey findings. Due to the constraint of the space, only quantitative research data and findings are included in this paper. The qualitative research data and findings will be discussed in the future. The findings suggested that the future career prospect connected to China’s economy was one of the most important factors that motivated students to learn Chinese and sustained their motivation. This finding supports the language globalization hypothesis proposed by Dörnyei and Csizer (2002) as such that Chinese is in the process of being changed into a world language due to the growth of China’s economy. In addition, the unique aspect of Chinese language and culture contributes to the challenge of learning Chinese and serves as another important factor to motivate students and sustain their learning. This finding supports self-determination theory (SDT) as learning a challenging subject satisfies learners’ needs for competence. It was found non-Chinese students continued significantly longer in Chinese programs. Heritage is ethnic Chinese students’ most important motivator to learn Chinese and to sustain their learning. The desire to maintain one’s heritage through learning a second language (L2) reflects heritage learners’ need for relatedness to their culture, which is one of human beings’ innate psychological needs according to SDT. More studies on high school students’ motivation for learning Chinese and other less commonly taught languages are needed. This research is intended to provide data for schools in the United States and overseas that are contemplating implementation of a Chinese language program.

Including People Who Use Augmentative and Alternative Communication in Qualitative Research: Can You Hear Us?

People who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) are frequently excluded from research, yet their voices can significantly enhance the applicability, acceptability, and translation of qualitative research findings. Accessible and adapted research methods welcome and empower participants who use AAC, and enable meaningful involvement. In this article, we describe the collaborative development of a framework to conceptualise inclusive research and aspects of an accompanying inclusive research toolkit. The framework identifies balancing power as a critical factor, primarily achieved by ensuring that research methods and materials are accessible to people who use AAC. We propose that this is achieved through three interacting elements: collaboration with AAC users, skills and knowledge to achieve accessibility, and ensuring adequate time is available to achieve involvement. We identify five areas where applying these elements has impact for AAC users: recruiting AAC users, working with communication supporters, adapting research methods, securing ethics approval, and consent. In presenting the framework, we demonstrate how qualitative researchers can foster a research environment that values and actively includes AAC users, ultimately advancing the field towards more comprehensive and inclusive research practices. While our work is situated in the cerebral palsy and AAC communities, our proposed framework and toolkit can be applied by researchers seeking perspectives from individuals with communication disabilities more broadly. We have created a corresponding plain language video of this article as an additional means of optimising accessibility of the content. See supplemental material .

An introduction to qualitative research for resident doctors

Qualitative research involves systematically collecting, organising, and interpreting textual or other non-numeric data to better understand experiences and context, convey different perspectives on a complex issue, explore new concepts, and understand attitudes and perceptions of phenomena of interest. Qualitative research is also used to identify ‘intangible’ factors, such as social norms, gender roles, ethnicity, religion, and religiosity/spirituality. Unlike quantitative methods that ask the questions ‘how many’ or ‘how much’, qualitative methods focus on the ‘what’, ‘how’ or ‘why’ of a phenomenon. Resident doctors across disciplines can use qualitative research methods but often lack the skills and training to use these methods in their research work. Qualitative and quantitative methods can complement each other through mixed methods approaches. This mixed methods approach to research may be useful across medical and surgical disciplines when one data source is insufficient, thus a second data source can enhance or complement the first. Combining multiple data sources allows researchers to triangulate the information they obtain. Qualitative research most often entails conducting interviews (in-depth interviews, key informant interviews), focus group discussions or observations (participant, non-participant). Tools used to obtain qualitative data include in-depth interview or focus group discussion guides; case studies and vignettes may be introduced into such data collection endeavours. Qualitative data in the form of transcripts and field notes is obtained by using these tools. Observation checklists and diaries (e.g. time use, food diaries) may also be used to collect qualitative data. Qualitative data analysis is often thematic, done either manually or using Computer Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis Software. In reporting the findings of qualitative research, illustrative quotes are usually employed. Qualitative research can be subjective and full of nuance, thus the need to assess its quality using criteria such as credibility, member checking and reflexivity. Ethical considerations, especially confidentiality is primarily important because of the relatively small sample sizes and the need to ensure participants’ responses are not traceable to them.

Mobility for a Better Life: A Fragmented Story of the Migrant

Almost all nations in the world are affected by the migration phenomena, which is becoming more and more widespread and complex. Although they are frequently connected to the concept of globalization in general, the broad social, economic, and political grounds of this movement are varied and not always necessarily known. This paper introduces qualitative research findings from the semi-structured interview with the migrant, who made up her mind to change her life by moving from her home country to Poland in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. The paper utilized such concepts as migration, student mobility, culture shock, the COVID-19 crisis, and social service provision to analyze the findings of the interview. The results from the interview demonstrate the fragmented story full of challenges that the migrant experienced including cultural adaptation, economic constraints, and social support. Despite challenges, the interview participant was able to look at her life opportunistically and gladly shared her story filled with kind people and lessons learned. On the example of one story, this qualitative research helps to reveal some gaps in the social support and migration systems to be improved as well as foresee some issues with migration restrictions in the future.

Use of the National Cancer Institute Patient-Reported Outcomes version of the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events to assess treatment tolerability in pulmonary arterial hypertension: qualitative patient research findings in current and former users of oral selexipag

BackgroundUnderstanding patients’ perspectives regarding drug tolerability, in addition to effectiveness, provides a complete picture of the patient experience and supports more informed therapeutic decision-making. The item library of the National Cancer Institute’s Patient-Reported Outcomes version of the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (PRO-CTCAE) was developed to measure patient-reported frequency, severity, and interference of adverse events (AEs) associated with cancer therapies. This qualitative interview study assessed the suitability of items selected from the PRO-CTCAE library for assessing tolerability of selexipag, a medication targeting the prostacyclin pathway for patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).MethodsTwo rounds of 10 qualitative, web-assisted telephone interviews following a semi-structured guide were conducted in individuals with recent experience taking oral selexipag for PAH. Each interview included concept elicitation to gather participants’ perspectives on symptomatic AEs (type, frequency, severity, and interference) and cognitive debriefing of PRO-CTCAE items addressing the most frequently reported AEs of oral selexipag.ResultsInterviews were conducted with 20 participants with PAH (mean [range] age 50 [24–68] years; 75% female; 85% in World Health Organization Functional Class II–III), comprising different races/ethnicities, levels of education, and employment status. Fifteen participants were currently treated with selexipag; five had taken selexipag for ≥ 6 months before discontinuing. The most frequently reported AEs included headache, jaw pain, and nausea (n = 15, 12, and 10 participants, respectively). Diarrhea and headache were identified as the most bothersome AEs by 5 and 4 participants, respectively. Some AEs were transitory (e.g., jaw pain); others were long-lasting (e.g., muscle pain). Based on findings from Round 1 interviews, a flushing item was added and the PRO-CTCAE general pain item was modified to be specific to jaw pain for testing in Round 2. Interview findings identified the following AEs as relevant to assess in a PAH clinical trial: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, flushing, jaw pain, headache, aching muscles, and aching joints.ConclusionsThe PRO-CTCAE items selected in this study and the additional symptomatic AEs identified as patient-relevant have the potential to be included in assessments capturing the patient perspective on tolerability in future studies of selexipag and possibly other PAH therapies.

Time and change: a typology for presenting research findings in qualitative longitudinal research

BackgroundQualitative longitudinal research (QLR) is an emerging methodology used in health research. The method literature states that the change in a phenomenon through time should be the focus of any QLR study, but in empirical studies, the analysis of changes through time is often poorly described, and the emphasis on time/change in the findings varies greatly. This inconsistency might depend on limitations in the existing method literature in terms of describing how QLR studies can present findings. The aim of this study was to develop and describe a typology of alternative approaches for integrating time and/or change in QLR findings.MethodsIn this method study, we used an adapted scoping review design. Articles were identified using EBSCOhost. In total, methods and results sections from 299 QLR articles in the field of health research were analyzed with inspiration from content analysis.ResultsWe constructed a typology of three types and seven subtypes. The types were based on the underlying structural principles of how time/change was presented: Type A) Findings have a low utilization of longitudinal data, Type B) Findings are structured according to chronological time, and Type C) Findings focus on changes through time. These types differed in 1) the way the main focus was on time, change or neither; 2) the level of interpretation in the findings; and 3) how theoretical understandings of time/change were articulated in the articles. Each type encompassed two or three subtypes that represented distinct approaches to the aim and results presentation of QLR findings.ConclusionsThis method study is the first to describe a coherent and comprehensive typology of alternative approaches for integrating time/change into QLR findings in health research. By providing examples of various subtypes that can be used for results presentations, it can help researchers make informed decisions suitable to their research intent.

HSD62 The Emotional and Information Seeking Experience of Locally Advanced Cervical Cancer: Qualitative Research Findings from Brazil

HSD62 The Emotional and Information Seeking Experience of Locally Advanced Cervical Cancer: Qualitative Research Findings from Brazil

Understanding Memorable Tourism Experience: Long-Term Memory System and Revisit Intention

Abstract This study seeks to understand the recall of memorable tourism experience (MTE) from long-term memory. It primarily seeks to comprehend the recollection of MTEs from tourists’ or alumni tourists’ long-term memory, and to closely link MTEs to human emotions and travel destinations. A mixed-method approach, including semi-structured interviews and a questionnaire survey, was adopted to collect data from alumni tourists with travel experiences during their studies in the United Kingdom. The findings of qualitative research highlighted three factors – Attraction and Atmospheric Impressiveness, Activity and Event Engagement and Relationship and Friendship Development – as major emotional stimuli. Meanwhile, empirical results from the survey suggested that Relationship and Friendship Development and Recollection and Vividness of Experience significantly influenced revisit intention to their MTE destinations.

The unmet rehabilitation needs of colorectal cancer survivors after surgery: A qualitative meta-synthesis.

To systematically review and synthesize the findings of qualitative research on the unmet rehabilitation needs of colorectal cancer survivors (CRC) after surgery. A qualitative meta-synthesis registered with PROSPERO (CRD42022368837). CNKI, Wanfang Data, PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Cochrane, Medline, PsychINFO and CINAHL were systematically searched for qualitative studies on the rehabilitation needs of CRC survivors after surgery from the inception of each database to September 2022. A total of 917 relevant reports were initially collected and 14 studies were finally included. A total of 49 needs were extracted and divided into 15 categories in 6 integrated findings: (1) the need to adopt healthy eating habits; (2) the need for exercise motivation and exercise guidance; (3) the conflicting needs to return to work; (4) unaddressed physiological needs; (5) spiritual needs; (6) the need for multi-dimensional social support. Not applicable.

Audience Response to COVID Monologues: Research-Based Theater on the Societal Impact of COVID-19.

Research-based theater uses drama to communicate research findings to audiences beyond those that typically read peer-reviewed journals. We applied research-based theater to translate qualitative research findings on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on different segments of U.S. society. Theater artists and public health researchers collaborated to create a collection of eight monologues from systematically sourced, peer-reviewed publications. Following three virtual performances in Spring, 2021, audience members were invited to complete a survey. Audience survey respondents (n = 120) were mostly U.S.-based and were diverse in terms of age, race/ethnicity, gender, profession, and experience attending theater. We summarized closed-ended responses and explored patterns by demographic characteristics. We synthesized themes of open-ended responses with inductive coding. Audience members somewhat/strongly agreed that COVID Monologues increased their knowledge (79.4%), represented the reality of the U.S. COVID-19 epidemic (95.7%), and offered new perspectives on what people had been experiencing (87.5%). Most also agreed research-based theater is an effective means of understanding health research (93.5%) and can promote community resilience in times of public health crisis (83.2%). Mann-Whitney U tests suggested less positive reactions from demographics that were not well-represented in monologue characters (cisgender men, Hispanics). Qualitative comments suggested audience members valued monologues that offered self-reflection and validation of their own COVID-19 experiences through relatable characters as well as those that offered insight into the experiences of people different from themselves. This work adds to evidence that research-based theater can help build knowledge and emotional insight around a public health issue. As these elements are foundational to pro-social, preventative health behaviors, research-based theater may have a useful role in promoting collective response to public health crises like COVID-19. Our method of systematically-sourcing research for theater-based dissemination could be extended to target more specific audiences with actionable behaviors.

An Integrative Review of the Support Needs of Informal Caregivers of Hematological Cancer Patients in the Period Immediately Following Discharge From Inpatient to Outpatient Care.

Preparing informal caregivers for a patient's transition to outpatient care is an important component of safe, quality hematological cancer care. The development of many novel therapies and emerging treatments has created opportunities to address the needs of informal caregivers following the discharge of patients from inpatient settings. To review and synthesize the literature on the needs of informal caregivers of patients with a hematological malignancy postdischarge from inpatient care. Integrative review methodology was used to explore the body of evidence available. This included a quality appraisal of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods research findings, subsequent data extraction, and inductive thematic synthesis. One thousand eight articles were screened with 10 included in the review. Key insights into the needs of caregivers entering the outpatient setting were identified and grouped into key subheadings: Encountering complex emotions knowing what to know, little time for yourself, and collateral impact. Findings convey the complex and multiple needs of informal caregivers of hematological cancer patients. With a growing population of people with hematological malignancies and innovations in outpatient cancer therapies, there is a pressing need to codesign interventions to support their caregivers. This review has identified a need for more robust research to coproduce interventions in collaboration with caregivers. In addition, interventions developed from further research should be tested in quality implementation science studies to determine their feasibility, sustainability, and impact on outcomes that matter to hematological cancer caregivers.