what are focus groups?
way of obtaining first hand information from a groups of selected people to provide their opinion (qualitative).
what are open question surveys?
questions without predefined set of answers, invites detailed responses (qualitative)
what are closed question surveys?
surveys that have a predefined set of answers for each question (quantitative)
what are interviews?
face to face discussions between two or more individuals, can be structured or unstructured (qualitative)
what are observations?
involved watching a process, activity or interaction being carried out and recording what is seen (qualitative and quantitative)
what are public databases?
organised collections of data accessed electronically (quantitative)
what are journals and articles?
primary research and articles written by professionals (qualitative and quantitative)
what is carrying out practical investigations?
may range from taking samples from a patient for testing or carrying out clinical trials (quantitative)
what are official statistics?
numerical data collected by local authorities, regional or national governments and other interested agencies such as charities (quantitative)
what is quantitative data?
measurements such as length, height, age, time or mass (facts and figures)
can be either discrete (can count) or continuous (can be measured)
what are the disadvantage and advantages of quantitative data?
good:
- easy to measure and compare
- supports evidence based decisions
- quick to gather
bad:
- lack personal detail and doesn’t capture emotion
- can be misinterpreted
- fixed answers may miss details
what is qualitative data?
descriptive, text based answers focusing on words, feelings, opinions and experiences.
what are the advantages and disadvantages of qualitative data?
good:
- provides deep insight
- flexible and detailed
- supports personal centred care
bad:
- time consuming
- hard to measure
- potential for bias
how to we present data?
- tables
- graphs and charts
- scatter graph
- line graph
- bar charts and histograms
- pie chart
how do we store data?
- paper based records
- secure databases
- external devices (usb)
- electronic health records
- cloud storage
- encrypted digital files
what is vital when recording information and data?
- accuracy
- thorough
- legible
why is it important to be accurate, pay attention to detail and be legible?
- compliance with legal requirements
- limits liability
- provides accurate account of events
- informs integrated working and data sharing
- ensures accurate analysis of findings
