title: Focus on qualitative methods. Qualitative metasynthesis: issues and techniques.
abstract: There has been an accumulation of qualitative studies in recent years, but little cumulation of the understandings gained from them. Qualitative research appears endangered both by efforts to synthesize studies and by the failure to do so. Techniques used have included reciprocal translations of key metaphors and concepts and qualitative and quantitative comparative analyses to produce narrative and theoretical integrations. The major problem yet to be resolved is developing usable and communicable systematic approaches to conducting metasynthesis projects that maintain the integrity of individual studies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Women's and Children's Health, School of Nursing, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 27599, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sandelowski
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Docherty
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Emden
mesh_terms: D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D006801:Humans; D015201:Meta-Analysis as Topic; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D010687:Philosophy, Nursing; D015203:Reproducibility of Results