The second phase of this study was to utilise qualitative methods to investigate the challenges that may contribute to high rejection rates of referrals from GPs to CAMHS, by capturing the perceptions and experiences of GPs in the referral decision-making process.
Public health researchers have recently begun to utilise qualitative methods to explore peoples' feelings, values and experiences of life-changing events, including experiences of infertility [ 74], in an attempt to understand how and why people behave as they do [ 75, 76].
This review sought a broad description of the attitudes and perceptions of healthcare providers, as well as the challenges they faced in the provision of services to cross-border migrants; articles which utilised qualitative methods were considered more suitable in achieving this objective than articles using quantitative methods.
Of the 31 primary research papers included in the review, 24 utilised qualitative methods: collecting data through ethnographic observations and interviews; and content analysis of emails, discussion forums and reports.
We utilised qualitative and quantitative methods to develop a system to assess and score organisations' capacity to engage with and apply research to policy.
In order to position and strengthen its evidence base, nursing may well seek to distance itself from a qualitative perspective and utilise methods at the top of the HOE; yet given the relation of qualitative methods to nursing this would constrain rather than broaden the profession in search of answers and an evidence base.
And sociologists use a variety of empirical research methods, from quantitative research to qualitative methods, to comparative and historical studies.
Most studies have utilised either generic (e.g. Short Form 36 Health Survey) or broad-based respiratory questionnaires, such as the St George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) [ 16– 19] and two additional studies have utilised qualitative interview methods [ 20, 21].
The remaining 19 articles undertook primary research with 11 papers using quantitative methodology and the remaining 8 utilising qualitative methods.
All relevant empirical studies that utilised qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods approaches were considered for this review.
