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. 2005 May;15(5):669-85.
doi: 10.1177/1049732305275208.

Case study research: the view from complexity science

Ruth A Anderson  1 , Benjamin F Crabtree, David J Steele, Reuben R McDaniel Jr
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Case study research: the view from complexity science

Ruth A Anderson et al. Qual Health Res. 2005 May.

Abstract

Many wonder why there has been so little change in care quality despite substantial quality improvement efforts. Questioning why current approaches are not making true changes draws attention to the organization as a source of answers. The authors bring together the case study method and complexity science to suggest new ways to study health care organizations. The case study provides a method for studying systems. Complexity theory suggests that keys to understanding the system are contained in patterns of relationships and interactions among the system's agents. They propose some of the "objects" of study that are implicated by complexity theory and discuss how studying these using case methods might provide useful maps of the system. They offer complexity theory, partnered with case study method, as a place to begin the daunting task of studying a system as an integrated whole.

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References

    1. American Health Care Association. (1998, March 13, 1998). Testimony Before Institute of Medicine Committee on Improving Quality in Long Term Care Retrieved, from the World Wide Web: http://www.ahca.org/brief/testim3.htm
    1. Anderson RA, Hsieh PC, Su HF. Resource allocation and resident outcomes in nursing homes: comparisons between the best and worst. Research in Nursing & Health. 1998;21(4):297–313. - PMC - PubMed
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