Appraising the quality of mixed methods research in nursing: A qualitative case study of nurse researchers’ views

Abstract

While a growing number of works have been published about the use of mixed methods research in nursing, scarce attention has been devoted to the issue of the quality of mixed methods within the discipline. The quality appraisal of mixed methods research poses two problems to nursing science: first, current quality criteria are not nursing-specific and consequently, they might not facilitate the application of mixed methods research findings into nursing practice. Second, criteria were theoretically derived and as such, they might not faithfully account for the decisions that nurse researchers take when appraising mixed methods research studies. This qualitative, within-case study explored the views of nurse researchers about mixed methods research in general and, more specifically, the question of quality in mixed methods research. An international sample of 13 nurse researchers was interviewed via Skype and phone. Thematic analysis revealed that the participants favored universal, cross-disciplinary quality criteria, and not criteria specific to the nursing discipline, and a consensual and standardized approach to appraising the quality of mixed methods research. Recommendations are put forward to strengthen the quality appraisal of mixed methods research studies by nurse researchers, as well as future works on this topic within nursing science.

mHealth and Engagement Concerning Persons With Chronic Somatic Health Conditions: Integrative Literature Review

“…Quality appraisal is a key component of a systematic review [ 65 , 66 ], but in mixed-method reviews, it can be difficult to find appropriate quality assessment guidelines that work for all included studies. Using mixed methods to understand complex phenomena and telehealth interventions is useful [ 67 , 68 ], yet threats to quality could be more difficult to identify compared with monomethod studies [ 68 ]. Because many of the studies in this review used a mix of methods in the same article, 2 CASP checklists were used for the same study in those cases.…”

The state of mixed methods research in nursing: A focused mapping review and synthesis

“…This definition has been embraced by several authorities on MMR including Creswell and Plano Clark (2017) and Pluye and Hong (2014), all of whom stress that integration is at the heart of MMR and should feature through the design, methods, interpretation, and reporting stages of the research process (Fetters, Curry, & Creswell, 2013). Fàbregues and Paré (2018) promote the ability of MMR to consider multiple world views and argue that the advantage of integration is its ability to produce knowledge that transcends what could be generated from separate qualitative and quantitative studies. Similarly, as Fielding (2012) suggests, MMR allows for greater ‘analytic density’ that is achieved through data integration.…”

“…As such, nurses need to combine diverse ways of knowing and apply this to care delivery in different contexts (Reed & Shearer, 2011). MMR may offer a means of capturing the complex nature of nursing because the combination and integration of qualitative and quantitative approaches corresponds with the multidimensional practice that symbolizes nursing (Fàbregues & Paré, 2018). Crucially, Kim (2015) contends that nurses need to integrate these sources of knowledge to be able to articulate what comprises nursing and to practise nursing effectively.…”

“…Of course, MMR offers more scope than capturing the nature of nursing; it is also a design that can be used to evaluate nursing practice (Bressan et al., 2016) and to give evidence about nursing interventions (Fàbregues & Paré, 2018). For example, Chiang and Chan (2014) used an MMR approach to evaluate advanced simulation in nursing, and Söderhamn, Kjostvedt, and Slettebo (2015) used MMR to evaluate ethical reflections in community health care.…”

Caracterização das pesquisas de métodos mistos em enfermagem publicadas no Journal of Mixed Methods Research

“…Enferm. UFSM, Santa Maria, v.9, e7: p. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16]2019 surgimento dos primeiros desenhos de estudo mencionando a mixagem de dados. Assim, observa-se que o desenvolvimento de grande parte da literatura na área de métodos mistos de pesquisa ocorreu no final da década de 1990.³ Nesse contexto de expansão dos métodos mistos, John W. Creswell tem se destacado, internacionalmente, como um grande metodologista nessa área.…”