Abstract
Qualitative inquiry is increasingly used to foster change in health policy and practice. Research ethics committees often misunderstand qualitative inquiry, assuming its design can be judged by criteria of quantitative science. Traditional health research uses scientific realist standards as a means-to-an-end, answering the question “So what?” to support the advancement of practice and policy. In contrast, qualitative inquiry often draws on constructivist paradigms, generating knowledge either as an end-in-itself or as a means to foster change. When reviewers inappropriately judge qualitative inquiry, it restricts the ways health phenomena can be understood. Qualitative inquiry is necessary because it enables an understanding not possible within scientific explanation. When such research illuminates, it can also shed light onto the “So what?” In order to ensure an appraisal of qualitative inquiry congruent with its paradigmatic premises, we suggest the “Illumination Test,” met when findings foster rich understanding of phenomena, resulting in a reflective “aha!”
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
Commonly called Research Ethics Boards (REBs) in Canada, Institutional Review Boards (IRB) in USA.
We use ‘interpretive’ as a descriptive term and not to necessarily imply the hermeneutical paradigm.
References
Barbour, R. (2001). Checklists for improving rigour in qualitative research: A case of the tail wagging the dog. BMJ, 322, 1115–1117.
Carnevale, F. (2005). Ethical care of the critically ill child: A conception of a ‘thick’ bioethics. Nursing Ethics, 12(3), 239–252.
Eakin, J. M., & Mykhalovskiy, E. (2003). Reframing the evaluation of qualitative health research: Reflections on a review of appraisal guidelines in the health sciences. Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, 9(2), 187–194.
Frankford, D. (1994). Scientism and economism in the regulation of health care. Journal of Health Politics, Policy and the Law, 19, 774–807.
Macdonald, M. E., Liben, S., Carnevale, F. A., Rennick, J. E., Wolf, S. L., Meloche, D., et al. (2005). Parental perspectives on hospital staff members’ acts of kindness and commemoration after a child’s death. Pediatrics, 116(4), 884–890.
Segal, J. Z. (1997). Public discourse and public policy: Some ways that metaphor constrains health (care). Journal of Medical Humanities, 18(4), 217–231.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Macdonald, M.E., Carnevale, F.A. Qualitative Health Research and the IRB: Answering the “So What?” with Qualitative Inquiry. J Acad Ethics 6, 1–5 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10805-007-9051-7
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10805-007-9051-7