The Virtue of Qualitative and Quantitative Research

It is argued that Newton's era and the Renaissance established two permanently important world views, from which the traditions and methods of inquiry have proceeded, and it is appropriate to highlight the complementary natures of biomedical research and qualitative research.

Abstract

Editorials1 November 1996The Virtue of Qualitative and Quantitative ResearchThomas S. Inu, MD, ScMThomas S. Inu, MD, ScMHarvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Boston, MA 02215.Author, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-125-9-199611010-00012 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail The human enterprise of research may be characterized as a problem-solving activity, one driven by curiosity or by various needs for information—to take action in the face of threats, to make predictions, to test a theory about how nature works, or to establish a context of meaning and order. In the Judeo-Christian cosmology, it may be speculated that research might never have arisen had Adam and Eve not been expelled from the Garden of Eden. Perfect circumstances create little or no need for an expanded understanding of the origin of problems. But once out of the Garden, as soon as ...References1. Toulmin S. Cosmopolis: The Hidden Agenda of Modernity. New York: Free Pr; 1990. Google Scholar2. Lincoln YS, Guba EG. Naturalistic Inquiry. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage; 1985. Google Scholar3. Inui TS, Frankel RM. Evaluating the quality of qualitative research: a proposal pro tem. J Gen Intern Med. 1991; 6:485-6. Google Scholar4. Kravitz RL, Callahan EJ, Paterniti D, Antonius D, Dunham M, Lewis CE. Prevalence and sources of patients' unmet expectations for care. Ann Intern Med. 1996; 125:730-7. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Boston, MA 02215.Corresponding Author: Thomas Inui, MD, Department of Ambulatory Care and Prevention, Harvard Medical School, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, 126 Brookline Avenue, Suite 200, Boston, MA 02215. 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