title: Quantitative vs qualitative research methods.
abstract: Quantitative methods have been widely used because of the fact that things that can be measured or counted gain scientific credibility over the unmeasurable. But the extent of biological abnormality, severity, consequences and the impact of illness cannot be satisfactorily captured and answered by the quantitative research alone. In such situations qualitative methods take a holistic perspective preserving the complexities of human behavior by addressing the "why" and "how" questions. In this paper an attempt has been made to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of both the methods and also that a balanced mix of both qualitative as well as quantitative methods yield the most valid and reliable results.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lakshman
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sinha
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Biswas
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Charles
authors.forename: N K
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Arora
mesh_terms: D003625:Data Collection / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D012106:Research / Q000639:trends; D012107:Research Design; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires