Qualitative health research in the era of evidence-based practice

Abstract

Evidence-based health care (EBHC) sets the tone in health care and health care research nowadays. Qualitative health researchers have to position themselves in a world that is dominated by it. The popularity of EBHC is not due to the rationality of its tenets. In this article, the author addresses major problems in EBHC. Qualitative research is important for providing the understanding that is necessary to apply findings from quantitative research properly and safely. Basic studies about the human experience in illness and regarding human behavior and meaning in general remain of great value, even in the era of EBHC. Qualitative research also plays an important role in developing scholarship.