Making a Case for Q Methodology in Health Service Evaluations
摘要
Q-methodology enables evaluators, researchers, and health professionals to systematically study subjectivity. It is an adaptable, holistic and rigorous approach to exploring patients’, caregivers’, and healthcare professionals’ perspectives on complex and sensitive topics, making it a method well-suited to health service evaluations. This chapter makes a case for using Q-methodology in health services research by presenting the benefits of the approach, and discussing topics and participant groups that lend themselves to investigation using Q-methodology. It then offers a step-by-step guide to the seven stages of Q-methodology. The chapter concludes with a discussion of methodological considerations and challenges for conducting evaluations using Q-methodology, focusing on study design, data collection, and analysis.