Qualitative methods and the development of clinical assessment tools

Practitioners are under increased pressure to demonstrate effectiveness and to do so in as short a time as possible. In addition, evidence-based practice calls for practitioners to take into consideration not only best research evidence but also the wants and preferences of patients, and their own clinical expertise. In light of these demands, standardized assessment tools are likely to become increasingly central in clinical practice in a variety of health care fields, such as nursing, social work, psychiatry, psychology, and medicine. In this article, the author uses two case studies to show how qualitative methods can contribute to the development and evaluation of clinical assessment tools that are responsive to contemporary pressures. She also shows that evaluations of clinical instruments are incomplete if they do not include a qualitative component.