Differential Qualitative Analysis: A Pragmatic Qualitative Methodology to Support Personalised Healthcare Research in Heterogenous Samples

Abstract

Differential qualitative analysis (DQA) was developed as a pragmatic qualitative health methodology for the exploration of individual differences, behaviours, and needs within heterogeneous samples. Existing qualitative methodologies tend to emphasise the identification of general principles, an approach that can lead to standardised treatment, care, and medicine. DQA emphasises the identification of individual variation, in order to inform personalised healthcare. DQA comprises an accessible three-stage approach: first individual profiles are explored and differentiated into research-relevant subgroups; then each subgroup is analysed, and findings identified; finally, the data is analysed in its entirety and overall and subgroup findings are presented. DQA was developed as a new qualitative approach to: (1) emphasise the identification of person and patient-centered findings; (2) facilitate the analysis of sample heterogeneity, including variation in responses and intervention outcomes; (3) provide a convenient, pragmatic, systematic, and transparent methodology; (4) bridge the qualitative-quantitative divide with a mutually accessible approach. DQA may be particularly relevant for mixed methods research, early-stage interventions, and research exploring personalised and patient-centred care, and integrative medicine.

Contribution of Health Care Practitioner and Maternity Services Factors to Racial Disparities in Alabama

“…Most participants expressed the need for a more racially diverse and interdisciplinary workforce for maternity services provision in Alabama, noting that it would reduce health care practitioner implicit racial bias and racism (Table 1, quotes [20][21][22].…”

“…19 Subgroup analysis was done to explore and compare differences among our diverse group of participants. 22 The team decided a priori to have a minimum of 20 interviews and to otherwise stop interviews when thematic saturation had been reached.…”

Exploring the prospective acceptability of a healthy food incentive program from the perspective of people with type 2 diabetes and experiences of household food insecurity in Alberta, Canada

“…no new codes identified in three successive transcripts) ( 26 ) . We used differential qualitative analysis ( 27 ) to explore differences and similarities between the two groups of participants (i.e. those interested and uninterested in using the FoodRx incentive).…”

“…Once the categories were finalised, ST and DJTC developed themes by identifying and reviewing broad concepts (e.g. social support, access to a vehicle and store preferences) that were identified in the final set of categories ( 27 ) . Themes were named, defined and reviewed with the research team.…”

International Students’ Career Construction From Hospitality Internship: A Qualitative Approach

“…The research methodologies adopted in this research consist of philosophical theory review on students’ internship, face-to-face semi-structured interviews, as well as documentary investigations and discourse analysis to international students’ internship diaries, which will figure out the relationship between internship and their future career choices. The purpose of applying qualitative research methodology is to explore specific phenomena and their internal relations and to focus on human practical intrinsic reasons and explore practical knowledge from the empirical data collected (Aliyu et al, 2015; Aspers & Corte, 2019; Gonot-Schoupinsky & Garip, 2019). The theory in qualitative research is not a conceptualization and formalization of social reality, but rather the authors’ interpretation of this particular social phenomenon from a specific perspective through specific research methods (Chong & Reinders, 2021; Hammersley, 1995; Yukiko et al, 2022).…”