Outline for Session 11: Critically Appraising Descriptive Studies

Saturday Class; 1- 3:30 pm, followed by BBQ 3:30-5:00

·         Surveys

·         Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Studies

·         Case-Control Studies

·         Qualitative Observation

·         Qualitative Interviewing

·         Qualitative Sampling

·         Grounded Theory

The objective of this week's class is to learn about how to appraise descriptive studies. As we learned earlier this semester, descriptive studies provide background information related to populations, problems and settings that may help us to develop intervention strategies where little evidence has yet to be established about effective interventions. There are two main types of descriptive studies, quantitative and qualitative studies, and these lend themselves to very different criteria for their appraisal. This class will be devoted to learning more about the logic of descriptive studies of both types and strategies for assessing their quality. Greenhalgh and Rubin provide criteria for examining these types of studies.

Most quantitative descriptive studies are undertaken to describe populations and to explain the relationship between variables which measure aspects of these populations. One of the major strategies for this research purpose is the survey, but it is by no means the only method for quantitative descriptive studies. We will explain some other ways to conduct descriptive research from a quantitative perspective and discuss general principles for evaluating these studies, making use of the content from Rubin and Greenhalgh. One of the most important considerations in assessing these types of studies is to the applicability of findings to your own clients.

Qualitative research represents a completely different paradigm for gathering information and produces a very different understanding of people and their environments. Where quantitative methods collect information in measurable categories, qualitative researchers attempt to achieve a more holistic view of people through adoption of a phenomenological perspective. This approach to research avoids preconceived notions of what are the important aspects of the situation to examine and takes a less directive approach to data collection, seeking to understand people by allowing them to relate information about themselves according to their own understanding of what is important. Researchers attempt to understand commonalities and differences across people by gathering a lot of deep information from relatively fewer people than are sampled in quantitative research, seeking “saturation” by talking to additional informants until no new insights are discovered. Themes which emerge from examination of the informant’s own words result in “thick description” of populations and their problems.

We will also review PICO questions related to descriptive studies, as well as methods filters for more quickly finding studies.  I don’t think the “MOLES” are very useful for these types of studies, so I will try to find some other guidelines.