CIH publication one of 10 best resources on mixed methods research
Mercy Njeru’s paper on HIV testing has been selected as one of the top ten resources on mixed methods research in health systems.
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Mixed methods research has become increasingly popular as a third approach along with qualitative and quantitative methods. Qualitative approaches are often used to explain quantitative results. Mixed methods research is especially important in low- and middle-income country (LMIC) settings, where understanding social, economic and cultural contexts are essential to assess health systems performance.
To provide researchers and programme managers with a guide to mixed methods research in health systems, Sachiko Ozawa and Krit Pongpirul have reviewed the best resources with a focus on LMICs. They made a list of the 10 best; eight peer-reviewed articles and two textbooks that describe the mixed methods approach and provide resources and guidelines in a great way. Their review article 10 best resources on … mixed methods research in health systems was published in the journal Health Policy and Planning. This journal is is published by Oxford University Press in association with The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
The best resources were selected based on their importance and frequency of use (number of citations), comprehensiveness of content, usefulness to readers and relevance to health systems research in resource-limited contexts.
This is what Ozawa and Pongpirul write about the publication by researchers at Centre for International Health; ‘Practicing provider-initiated HIV testing in high prevalence settings: consent concerns and missed preventive opportunities’ (Njeru MK, Blystad A, Shayo EH, Nyamongo IK, Fylkesnes K, BMC Health Services Research 2011;11:87):
“At times logistical or financial hurdles may only allow for one phase of data collection. An example of a convergent parallel design is presented by Njeru et al. (2011) in the paper ‘Practicing provider-initiated HIV testing in high prevalence settings: consent concerns and missed preventive opportunities’. To examine the use of provider-initiated HIV testing services in Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia, the authors carried out a population-based survey along with focus group discussions and in-depth interviews. While the quantitative approaches examined the proportion of people utilizing HIV testing services, the qualitative approaches explored informants’ experiences and perceptions towards HIV testing services. Analysis from both approaches was interpreted and discussed concurrently, where authors relate the quantitative findings on exposure to HIV testing with quotes from qualitative analysis.”
Sachiko Ozawa and Krit Pongpirul both work at the Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, USA and Pongpirul also has an affiliation to Chulalongkorn University, Thailand.
Read the full article here: 10 best resources on … mixed methods research in health systems
