Qualitative methods in medical research--an ethnographic perspective
Hilden, P.K.; Middelthon, A.-L.
Tidsskrift for den Norske Laegeforening Tidsskrift for Praktisk Medicin Ny Raekke 122(25): 2473-2476
2002
ISSN/ISBN: 0029-2001 PMID: 12448120 Document Number: 549088
In the social sciences, "method" refers not only to practical techniques of investigation but also to the underlying assumptions regarding how knowledge is generated (epistemology) and to the strategies derived for knowledge accumulation. In order to consider fruitfully the role of qualitative methods in health research, this three-dimensional understanding of method must be kept in mind. Specifically, in order to understand the contribution of ethnography to health research, the foundational epistemological and research strategic assumptions must be clarified. With examples from Norway and other Western countries and from more traditional regions of ethnographic research, the authors discuss how ethnographic research can be carried out and how ethnography might complement other qualitative methodologies as well as epidemiological research.