Qualitative research methodology and evidence-based practice in public health

Due to the shift towards the social model of health care (see Chapter 1 in this volume), public health researchers and practitioners have increasingly become interested in the insider perspectives and experiences of key players in health, including health consumers and healthcare providers (Simmons-Mackie & Lynch, 2013). Thus, qualitative research has been adopted in public health in many ways and in numerous field of health research (Padgett, 2012; Guest, Tolley & Wong, 2013; Liamputtong, 2013a, b). The case study above attests to the increasing adoption of qualitative inquiry in public health. The main focus of this chapter is on qualitative research. You will learn about the nature of qualitative inquiry and the need for qualitative research in public health. You will also gain a basic understanding of some philosophical assumptions of qualitative research that lead to different understandings about public health in different groups of people.