Including mixed methods research in systematic reviews: examples from qualitative syntheses in TB and malaria control.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Health policy makers now have access to a greater number and variety of systematic reviews to inform different stages in the policy making process, including reviews of qualitative research. The inclusion of mixed methods studies in systematic reviews is increasing, but these studies pose particular challenges to methods of review. This article examines the quality of the reporting of mixed methods and qualitative-only studies.

Methods

We used two completed systematic reviews to generate a sample of qualitative studies and mixed method studies in order to make an assessment of how the quality of reporting and rigor of qualitative-only studies compares with that of mixed-methods studies.

Results

Overall, the reporting of qualitative studies in our sample was

SUBMITTER: Atkins S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3445834 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature