title: Using mixed methods when researching communities.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To argue for the use of mixed methods when researching communities.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Although research involving minority communities is now advanced, not enough effort has been made to formulate methodological linkages between qualitative and quantitative methods in most studies. For instance, the quantitative approaches used by epidemiologists and others in examining the wellbeing of communities are usually empirical. While the rationale for this is sound, quantitative findings can be expanded with data from in-depth qualitative approaches, such as interviews or observations, which are likely to provide insights into the experiences of people in those communities and their relationships with their wellbeing.
  
  
  METHODS
  Academic databases including The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, CINAHL, AMED, INTERNURSE, Science Direct, Web of Knowledge and PubMed.
  
  
  METHODS
  An iterative process of identifying eligible literature was carried out by comprehensively searching electronic databases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Using mixed-methods approaches is likely to address any potential drawbacks of individual methods by exploiting the strengths of each at the various stages of research. Combining methods can provide additional ways of looking at a complex problem and improve the understanding of a community's experiences. However, it is important for researchers to use the different methods interactively during their research.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The use of qualitative and quantitative methods is likely to enrich our understanding of the interrelationship between wellbeing and the experiences of communities. This should help researchers to explore socio-cultural factors and experiences of health and healthcare practice more effectively.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Education and Leadership, University of Bedfordshire, Luton, UK.
authors.forename: Bertha M N
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Ochieng
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work, University of Salford, Greater Manchester, UK.
authors.forename: Danny
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Meetoo
mesh_terms: D005006:Ethnicity; D006801:Humans; D008913:Minority Groups; D015399:Nursing Research / Q000458:organization & administration*; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012107:Research Design; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
keywords: communities; community research; ethnic minority groups; mixed methods; pluralism; qualitative; quantitative