OBJECTIVE To examine the use of qualitative approaches alongside randomised trials of complex healthcare interventions. DESIGN Review of randomised controlled trials of interventions to change professional practice or the organisation of care. DATA SOURCES Systematic sample of 100 trials published in English from the register of the Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care Revie...

CONTEXT Although qualitative studies are becoming more appreciated in healthcare, the number of publications of quality studies remains low. Little is known about the frequency and characteristics of citation in qualitative studies. OBJECTIVE To compare the academic impact of qualitative studies to that of two quantitative studies: systematic reviews and randomized controlled trials. METHOD...

BACKGROUND Quantitative studies are becoming more recognized as important to understanding health care with all of its richness and complexities. The purpose of this descriptive survey was to provide a quantitative evaluation of the qualitative studies published in 170 core clinical journals for 2000. METHODS All identified studies that used qualitative methods were reviewed to ascertain whic...