Qualitative Research for Allied Health Professionals: Challenging Choices

This practical text addresses a gap in the literature by mappingthe links between philosophy, research method and practice in anaccessible, readable way. It offers guidance to allied healthprofessionals – increasingly involved in research as theemphasis grows on evidence-based practice – on how to engagein meaningful, good quality qualitative research.

To help researchers take on this challenge, the book:

• highlights some of the choices involved in carrying outqualitative research
• offers a wide range of practical examples to show how differentways of doing qualitative research can be managed
• critically examines a variety of qualitative researchmethodologies of particular interest to allied healthprofessionals
• clarifies the links between epistemology, methodology andmethod.

The book is structured in three parts.  Part I sensitisesreaders to the complex issues which challenge qualitativeresearchers at the planning stage of their projects. In Part II,the challenge of using different methodologies is criticallyexplored by fifteen authors, who describe their individualresearch experiences. Part III examines the choices researchersmake when they evaluate and present research.