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Seeking Insight: Using Qualitative Data for Policymaking

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The Palgrave Handbook of Global Health Data Methods for Policy and Practice

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Abstract

Singh, Krishan and Telford argue that investigators need qualitative data to fully describe the context in which health policy operates. To achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, policymakers must appreciate the influence of social determinants on health outcomes and have the data to target interventions towards the most vulnerable populations. The authors review the historical roots of qualitative inquiry and provide a well-illustrated overview of the methods that investigators use to obtain people’s opinions and understand behaviours. They categorise qualitative data into four classes—facts, assertions, opinions and narratives—and show how synthesis of these data contributes to better understanding of health issues. The authors outline methods for collecting and analysing qualitative data and for judging the quality of findings based from these data.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Amaltas Consulting Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi, India

    Suneeta Singh & Anjali Krishan

  2. Amrit Foundation of India, New Delhi, India

    Myriam Telford

Authors
  1. Suneeta Singh
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  2. Anjali Krishan
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  3. Myriam Telford
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Suneeta Singh .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics School of Medicine, and Institute for Global Health Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Sarah B. Macfarlane

  2. CAZ Consulting Sarl, Bloomberg Data for Health Initiative, Geneva, Switzerland

    Carla AbouZahr

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© 2019 The Author(s)

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Singh, S., Krishan, A., Telford, M. (2019). Seeking Insight: Using Qualitative Data for Policymaking. In: Macfarlane, S., AbouZahr, C. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Global Health Data Methods for Policy and Practice. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-54984-6_16

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-54984-6_16

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-137-54983-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-137-54984-6

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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