Qualitative research is used to answer what, why or how questions. It is concerned with why people behave the way they do and the influencing factors. It involves collecting and working with non-numerical data such as text, images, video or sound.

This module will provide an overview of:

• Common approaches to qualitative research including grounded theory, ethnography, and phenomenology
• Main qualitative data collection methods employed in pharmacy and the advantage and disadvantages of these approaches
• Data analysis processes used in qualitative studies
• Key principles for ensuring quality and rigour in qualitative research

Estimated completion time: 60 minutes

Learning objectives

Upon completion of this module you will be able to:

1. Describe the main principles of qualitative research
2. Outline the different types of qualitative research and when they should be used
3. Describe the main principles of sampling
4. Describe how to collect, process and analyse data
5. Describe the key strengths and limitations of qualitative methods