Foundations of qualitative and quantitative methods Essay

Foundations of qualitative and quantitative methods - Essay Example The outcome is sufficient actionable conclusions. Qualitative method provides a greater insight into the behavior of people that contributes towards healthy or unhealthy population. The method often uses case studies and observation of a population. For example, a study on HIV on a particular community may use the qualitative method to identify behaviors that increase the prevalence of the disease in the population under study. A qualitative method would supplement the qualitative method by availing the statistical part. The method gives a better presentation of conclusions in numerical form, shows trends and demographics of a population. In the above example of a study on HIV, quantitative method is important in showing aspects such as number of vulnerable persons, high-risk ages, and the economic cost of the disease. In conclusion, the above illustration shows that a nursing research provides better and actionable conclusions when both qualitative and quantitative methods are used. Whereas qualitative methods provide a theoretical perspective of a phenomenon, the quantitative method avails data evidence to enhance the viability and reliability of the results. However, using both methods is complex, time-consuming and requires expertise in theory and