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Making a difference: towards a method for weighing the evidence in a qualitative synthesis
Hennie R Boeije1, Floryt van Wesel, Eva Alisic
1Department of Methodology and Statistics, Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands. h.boeije@uu.nl
Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice
|April 21, 2011
Summary
This study introduces a new method to weigh findings in qualitative synthesis by considering study frequency and quality. This approach enhances the reliability of evidence in qualitative research, particularly for complex topics like child trauma.
Area of Science:
- Social Sciences
- Psychology
- Public Health
Background:
- Qualitative synthesis integrates primary studies to develop theories or interventions.
- Current methods often neglect the strength of evidence from primary qualitative studies.
- A robust method is needed to account for evidence quality in qualitative synthesis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and evaluate a method for assigning weights to qualitative study findings.
- To incorporate both the frequency and quality of reported results into the synthesis process.
- To enhance the rigor and reliability of qualitative evidence synthesis.
Main Methods:
- A qualitative synthesis method was developed and tested using 17 studies on children and trauma.
- Findings were extracted via coding, resulting in 14 themes.
- Study quality was appraised using expert judgment and a quality checklist to calculate weights.
Main Results:
- The developed weighting method showed that low concept frequency often further decreases evidence strength when quality is considered.
- Checklist appraisal outcomes generally align with expert judgment regarding evidence strength.
- The weighting process highlights the impact of both frequency and quality on evidence reliability.
Conclusions:
- Critical appraisal outcomes significantly influence the weight assigned to qualitative studies.
- A checklist-based appraisal is recommended for its superior distinguishing ability.
- The developed weighting method is valuable for quality appraisal in qualitative research and synthesis objectives.
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