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Abstract
For many years, discussions of the relative merits of generic and theoretical approaches to qualitative research have divided researchers while overshadowing the need to focus on addressing clinical questions. Drawing on the challenges of designing a study that explored parents' experiences of living with children with hydrocephalus, the authors of this paper argue that over-adherence to, and deliberations about, the philosophical origins of qualitative methods is undermining the contributions qualitative research could make to evidence-based health care and suggest qualitative methods should stand alone.
Keywords
Qualitative research, framework analysis, parents' experiences, hydrocephalus
Introduction
For the novice qualitative researcher, designing an enquiry-based study aimed at investigating how individuals make sense of, and interpret, their experiences of health and illness is challenging because of the range and diversity of qualitative methods. To make an informed choice about a study's design, appreciating the underlying principles, similarities and differences of the main qualitative methods and their application to the topic area being investigated is essential (Morse and Richards 2002, Ritchie and Lewis 2003). However, first, there does not appear to be a definitive way of classifying qualitative research (Patton 2002). Second, a preoccupation with debates concerning the underpinning epistemological basis of qualitative methodology has overshadowed the need to identify research priorities and develop questions that could enhance nursing practice (Rolfe 1998). Third, the overt criticism by some qualitative researchers of the academic standing of generic approaches is undermining their value (Sandelowski 2000).
This article will evaluate the potential benefits of adopting a generic qualitative approach when designing studies aimed at understanding user and carer perspectives, a key driver of UK health policy reforms (Department of Health (DH) 2001). This will be achieved by sharing personal reflections on the challenges encountered when designing a qualitative study that focused on parents' experiences of living with children with hydrocephalus. Various terms are used to describe theoretical qualitative research, including 'generic designs' (Holloway and Todres 2003) and 'descriptive designs' (Sandelowski 2000), but we will use 'generic research' to represent qualitative methods not underpinned by a specified theoretical perspective.
Context
Hydrocephalus is a long-term condition usually identified in early childhood characterised by excess cerebrospinal fluid in the ventricles of the brain. The main treatment for hydrocephalus is the insertion of a permanent...