Includes bibliographical references and index.

Part I: Principles and Approaches in Qualitative Health Research; Chapter 1: Qualitative Methodology in Health Research; What is qualitative research?; Qualitative research and evidence based practice; The orientations of qualitative research; Some assumptions about qualitative research; Chapter 2: The Role of Theory; Macro theory; Middle range theory; Theories of knowledge; Chapter 3: Developing Qualitative Research Proposals; Research questions; Selecting appropriate study designs; Pragmatic influences on research design; A qualitative approach to design; Writing a research proposal; Sampling strategies; Chapter 4: Responsibilities,

Ethics and Values; Values in research; Ethical review and codes of practice; Informed consent; Confidentiality; Responsibilities to research participants; Ethical dilemmas and conflicts; Responsibilities to yourself and co-workers; Responsibilities to commissioners and the public; Part II: Generating Data; Chapter 5: In-depth Interviews; The research interview; A word on language; Language and translation; What interviews can and can't do; Asking questions and listening to answers; Context and data; Planning interviews; Using visual methods in interviews; Chapter 6: Group Interviews and Discussions; An overview of different kinds of groups used in qualitative research; Consensus panels; Community interviews and participatory methods; Focus group discussions; Natural groups; Advantages of using group interviews;

Naturalism; Limitations; Planning group interview studies; Chapter 7: Observational Methods; Participation and observation; Ethnography and medical anthropology; Ethnographies of medicine, health and health care; Managing fieldwork roles; Planning an ethnographic study; Rapid ethnographic methods; Using participation and observation in interviews; Non-participant observation; Chapter 8: Using Secondary Sources; Why use existing sources?; Public records; Personal documents; Mass media outputs; Research outputs; Policy reports; Material artefacts; Methodological issues in using documentary sources; Chapter 9: Qualitative Research in a Digital Age; Questions about health,

Health care and technology; Researching virtual sites; Recruitment on line: social media; Technology platforms as part of the context of data generation; Ethical issues in digital research; Dissemination and knowledge exchange; Part III: Managing and Analysing Data; Chapter 10: Beginning Data Analysis; Styles of analysis; Aims of analysis; Data preparation and management; Qualitative description; Thematic content analysis; Framework analysis; Reliability and validity; Computer aided qualitative analysis; Chapter 11: Developing Qualitative Analysis; Rigour is not enough; Discourse analysis; Grounded theory; Narrative analysis; Beyond talk and text; Some strategies for thinking more analytically; Generalizability and transferability; Part IV: Qualitative Research in Practice; Chapter 12: Integrating Methods,

Designs and Disciplines; Rationales for mixing methods within qualitative studies; Combining qualitative and quantitative designs; Qualitative research within evaluative designs; Combining designs in practice; Developing trans-disciplinary research; Enhancing collaboration; Chapter 13: Reading, Appraising and Integrating Qualitative Research; Reading critically; Formal critical appraisal for empirical studies; Criteria in ethnography; Systematic reviews; Integrating qualitative findings; Meta-ethnography; Chapter 14: Dissemination: reaching and engaging with audiences; The writing process; Writing for different audiences; Writing for health journals; Writing for social science colleagues; Practical issues to consider when writing research reports; Dissemination from collaborative projects; Communicating with non-specialist audiences;

This is a practical introduction to designing, conducting and appraising qualitative research in areas such as public health, health services research, nursing and health promotion.