Qualitative research is an approach in research which leverages open-ended communication to identify and study patterns in thoughts, feelings, and experiences of individuals in relation to a specific inquiry. Even though qualitative research is not based on statistical estimations and numerical data, it does provide many benefits in a research exercise, such as eliciting rich responses and detailed descriptions from the respondents. Qualitative research is considered a human-centered approach of studying phenomena and can be incredibly beneficial in healthcare market research, especially in developing health strategies and solutions designed to improve patient satisfaction. In this blog, we are going to discuss the importance of qualitative research in healthcare with a focus on patient care.
What makes Qualitative Research Crucial in Healthcare Market
The significance of qualitative market research for the health industry can be understood through some of the following advantages:
- Qualitative research can provide real time and detailed insights based on the thoughts and emotional responses of the target group.
- Compared to quantitative research, qualitative research can assist by providing granular information like attitude (change in attitude), perception and speculations of the target group rather than data in the form of numbers.
- Qualitative research can help provide more content based on the customers’ interactions with their products and services for the creatives, marketing teams and digital healthcare payers and providers.
The Challenging Aspects of Qualitative Market Research in the Healthcare Industry
There are many qualitative research methods at the disposal of a researcher, including in-depth interviews, ethnography studies, and focus groups, however, the successful utilization of these methods depends on the researcher’s ability to capture and record responses, lead discussions, and interpret data. Apart from the issue of subjectivity, the use of qualitative market research in the healthcare industry is also challenging because of the following reasons:
- Lower number of respondents compared to quantitative research which can raise sampling concerns
- Difficulties in finding a statistical balance to the target sample size
- Trouble in the identification of the research problem and development of research questions
- Difficulty in forming study group or samples
- Problems in extraction of actionable outcomes relevant to the research objectives, such as improvements in patient care.
How to Tackle the reliability question
Many health industry players tend to question the usability of qualitative methods in healthcare market research due to the subjective nature of the data that is collected in the process. Unlike structured methodology followed during quantitative research, qualitative research relies on the researcher’s interpretation of the data that is collected. But this should not be the reason to forgo an opportunity to collect rich data that can be used for purposes such as exploring patients’ lived experiences. The problem of reliability in qualitative research can be solved by making the right selection of key opinion leaders and experienced interviewers and decision-makers to design and conduct the research study.
Final Word
Qualitative research in the healthcare industry is greatly beneficial for stakeholders in the healthcare industry including healthcare providers and payers to develop product and service strategies that actually meet the patients and customers’ needs. If you too are searching for healthcare market research services to get actionable data to modify existing and create new and efficient health care solutions, then partner with Unimrkt Healthcare, one of the best healthcare research companies in India that offer a range of qualitative methodologies to conduct in-depth research in the healthcare market. To learn more about our healthcare market research services, call +91-124-424-5210 or +91-9870-377-557. You can also email sales@unimrkthealth.com.
