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Medical education
03, 2021;55 (3): 336-343.

Interpretive description: A flexible qualitative methodology for medical education research.

Julie Thompson Burdine, Sally Thorne, Gurjit Sandhu
Author Information
  1. Julie Thompson Burdine: Department of Surgery, Michigan Medicine, Ann Arbor, MI, USA. ORCID
  2. Sally Thorne: School of Nursing, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
  3. Gurjit Sandhu: Department of Surgery, Michigan Medicine, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
PMID: 32967042 DOI: 10.1111/medu.14380

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Qualitative research approaches are increasingly integrated into medical education research to answer relevant questions that quantitative methodologies cannot accommodate. However, researchers have found that traditional qualitative methodological approaches reflect the foundations and objectives of disciplines whose aims are recognizably different from the medical education domain of inquiry (Thorne, 2016, Interpretive description. New York, NY: Routledge). Interpretive description (ID), a widely used qualitative research method within nursing, offers an accessible and theoretically flexible approach to analysing qualitative data within medical education research. ID is an appropriate methodological alternative for medical education research, as it can address complex experiential questions while producing practical outcomes. It allows for the advancement of knowledge surrounding educational experience without sacrificing methodological integrity that long-established qualitative approaches provide.
PURPOSE: In this paper, we present interpretive description as a useful research methodology for qualitative approaches within medical education. We then provide a toolkit for medical education researchers interested in incorporating interpretive description into their study design. We propose a coherent set of strategies for identifying analytical frameworks, sampling, data collection, analysis, rigour and the limitations of ID for medical education research. We conclude by advocating for the interpretive description approach as a viable and flexible methodology for medical education research.

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MeSH Term

Biomedical Research
Education, Medical
Humans
Qualitative Research
Research Design
Research Personnel
Journal Article

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