이정재, 서은영, 김수

Enhancing Methodological Congruence in Qualitative Health Research

Enhancing Methodological Congruence in Qualitative Health Research

Research design; Qualitative research; Reproducibility of results; Public health; Nursing; Data collection

Research design; Qualitative research; Reproducibility of results; Public health; Nursing; Data collection

질적연구 26권 2호

2025년 11월

Purpose: Qualitative research has become increasingly popular in healthcare disciplines as it offers in-depth understanding into human’s lived experiences, beliefs, and social realities that shape healthcare delivery. In this article, we present the importance of and ways to enhance methodological congruence in qualitative health research- an alignment between philosophical foundations, disciplinary lens, research aims, methodologies, data collection, sampling, and analysis in qualitative health research. Methods: A narrative review of key methodological and philosophical literature was conducted to explore and synthesise approaches for strengthening methodological congruence. Results: We discuss that methodological congruence ensures research is coherent, rigorous, and truly reflective of the complexity of the human experience. Methodological congruence is foundational and essential for conducting qualitative health research that is both theoretically robust and practically relevant for healthcare settings. Therefore, this strengthens the impact of findings and enhance its potential to inform healthcare practice and policy. We also argue common challenges such as superficial adherence to checklists for qualitative research and the misapplication of quantitative research concepts including reliability, validity and generalisability, that can negatively affect the depth and trustworthiness of qualitative inquiry. Conclusion: Methodological congruence is essential for producing credible qualitative health research that significantly informs practice and policy.