The DOI matches its Crossref record; 31 of the 31 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Qualitative synthesis and systematic review in health professions education
Abstract
CONTEXT: Formal qualitative synthesis is the process of pooling qualitative and mixed-method research data, and then drawing conclusions regarding the collective meaning of the research. Qualitative synthesis is regularly used within systematic reviews in the health professions literature, although such use has been heavily debated in the general literature. This controversy arises in part from the inherent tensions found when generalisations are derived from in-depth studies that are heavily context-dependent. METHODS: We explore three representative qualitative synthesis methodologies: thematic analysis; meta-ethnography, and realist synthesis. These can be understood across two dimensions: integrative to interpretative, and idealist to realist. Three examples are used to illustrate the relative strengths and limitations of these approaches. DISCUSSION: Against a backdrop of controversy and diverse methodologies, readers must take a critical stand when reading literature reviews that use qualitative synthesis to derive their findings. We argue that notions of qualitative rigour such as transparency and acknowledgment of the researchers' stance should be applied to qualitative synthesis.
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“However, the inclusion and critical appraisal of qualitative studies may have added depth to the factors within the acceptability capture in this study [55].”
From Acceptability of Web-Based Mental Health Interventions in the Workplace: Systematic Review (2022) · cites this paper as [55]
In the citing paper
“Meta-ethnography, as described in depth by Noblit and Hare [13], focusses on interpretation to ‘synthesise understanding’, unlike other approaches to qualitative synthesis, such as thematic analysis, which seek to summarise data [14].”
From Factors that influence the implementation of e-health: a systematic review of systematic reviews (an update) (2016) · cites this paper as [14]
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Metadata
- Authors
- Bearman, M., & Dawson, P.
- Affiliations
- Monash University (AU)
- Corresponding author
- Bearman, Margaret
- Venue
- Medical Education
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2013-02-08
- Volume
- 47
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 252-260
- ISSN
- 0308-0110 (ISSN-L)
- 1365-2923
- OpenAlex
- W1591099317
- Cited by
- 357
- References
- 31
- Citations by year
- 2026: 24 · 2025: 25 · 2024: 35 · 2023: 37 · 2022: 35 · 2021: 40 · 2020: 34 · 2019: 36 · 2018: 28 · 2017: 18 · 2016: 24 · 2015: 8 · 2014: 12
- FWCI
- 3.01
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Medical Education (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › Statistics, Probability and Uncertainty › Meta-analysis and systematic reviews
- Social Sciences › Education › Qualitative Research Methods and Applications
- Social Sciences › Education › Innovations in Medical Education
- Keywords
- qualitative evidence synthesis, systematic reviews, health professions education, meta-ethnography, realist synthesis, thematic analysis, transparency, researcher positionality
- MeSH terms
- Systematic Reviews as Topic, Anthropology, Cultural, Education, Professional, Health Occupations, Humans, Judgment, Research Personnel, Meta-Analysis as Topic, MEDLINE, Qualitative Research
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