Some strengths of qualitative data methods are that the data can bring deeper meaning and insight into data. This can lead to changes in the design, administration, or interpretation of a study using qualitative data. Perceptions and feelings can be gathered in a qualitative manner (Rahman, 2016). Disadvantages or challenges can be that they usually have a smaller sample size and it can be time, labor, and even cost consuming to analyze the data. Quantitative research on the other hand can have a larger sample leading to more data collected in a shorter amount of time. Quantitative research though gives data for a moment but can’t go deeper into meaning (Rahman, 2016). Strengths of quantitative data is that measured data is concrete and in that way is logical in nature. Qualitative data can be subjective at times which for some situations can be a disadvantage.
Quantitative data can be measured, the data can be compared and numbers are used. These numerical values can give a picture of the facts during any events including a health event. Qualitative data can be broader and is non numerical and usually words to describe things. It can also be observation without measurement (National Institutes of Health, 2021). In health care it can be used in many ways but some are looking at organization change, leadership, and quality of care (National Institutes of Health, 2021). Questionnaires are sent out about staff experience and patient experience to help measure these concepts. The opinions can be used to revamp a hospital’s policies on a variety of things and to measure these improvements. Quantitative data can be used when tracking infection rates after using a new product prior to surgeries. These numbers can show if this product is worth the price and time to use depending on how it is affecting the infection rates.
References
National Institutes of Health. (2021). Common Data Types in Public Health Research. https://www.nihlibrary.nih.gov/resources/subject-guides/health-data-resources/common-data-types-public-health-research
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