Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2013 Dec;48(6 Pt 2):2134-56.
doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.12117. Epub 2013 Oct 23.

Achieving integration in mixed methods designs-principles and practices

Michael D Fetters  1 , Leslie A Curry, John W Creswell
Affiliations

Achieving integration in mixed methods designs-principles and practices

Michael D Fetters et al. Health Serv Res. 2013 Dec.

Abstract

Mixed methods research offers powerful tools for investigating complex processes and systems in health and health care. This article describes integration principles and practices at three levels in mixed methods research and provides illustrative examples. Integration at the study design level occurs through three basic mixed method designs-exploratory sequential, explanatory sequential, and convergent-and through four advanced frameworks-multistage, intervention, case study, and participatory. Integration at the methods level occurs through four approaches. In connecting, one database links to the other through sampling. With building, one database informs the data collection approach of the other. When merging, the two databases are brought together for analysis. With embedding, data collection and analysis link at multiple points. Integration at the interpretation and reporting level occurs through narrative, data transformation, and joint display. The fit of integration describes the extent the qualitative and quantitative findings cohere. Understanding these principles and practices of integration can help health services researchers leverage the strengths of mixed methods.

Keywords: Qualitative research; biostatistical methods; epidemiology; focus groups; program evaluation; research methodology; sampling; survey.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Example Illustrating Integration in an Exploratory Sequential Mixed Methods Design from the Survival after Acute Myocardial Infarction Study
Figure 2
Figure 2
Example of Joint Display Illustrating Integration at the Interpretation and Reporting Level from the ADAPT-IT Project—Potential Ethical Advantages for Patients When Using Adaptive Clinical Trial Designs
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. American College of Cardiology. 2013. “Surviving MI Intiative” [accessed on May 12, 2013]. Available at http://www.cardiosource.org/Science-And-Quality/Quality-Programs/Survivi....
    1. Berry DA. “Adaptive Clinical Trials: The Promise and the Caution”. Journal of Clinical Oncology. 2011;29(6):606–9. - PubMed
    1. Bradley EH, Curry LA, Spatz ES, Herrin J, Cherlin EJ, Curtis JP, Thompson JW, Ting HH, Wang Y, Krumholz HM. “Hospital Strategies for Reducing Risk-Standardized Mortality Rates in Acute Myocardial Infarction”. Annals of Internal Medicine. 2012;156(9):618–26. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bryman A. “Integrating Quantitative and Qualitative Research: How Is It Done?”. Qualitative Inquiry. 2006;6(1):97–113.
    1. Carr E. “Exploring the Effect of Postoperative Pain on Patient Outcomes Following Surgery”. Acute Pain. 2000;3(4):183–93.

MeSH terms