The role of qualitative methods for investigating barriers to adult immunization

In 1999, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality funded a study of barriers to immunization, which included a short-term qualitative data collection to assess the organizational and cultural features of selected primary care practices and to explore their impact on adult immunization rates. The authors describe the short-term qualitative data collection system and the contributions made by the qualitative study to the parent project. They address previously held concerns about qualitative research and provide a system that can be replicated or modified for use for projects designed to assess complex attitudes and behaviors that affect health outcomes.