Category:BMI560-W-08

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Qualitative technique: Case Study Research

Description: A case study is an in depth look at one or more cases. Case study methodology involves systematically gathering enough information about the “case” (a particular person, social setting, event, group, organization) to allow the researcher to understand how the subject operates or functions and glean insights.1 It is an empirical inquiry that investigates a contemporary phenomenon in a real-life context that is particularly useful when the boundaries between phenomenon and context are unclear.

History: The case study approach to research can be traced back to sociological fieldwork in the early 19th century.2 Similar methods have been used in medicine. In fact, the fields of medicine and psychology, for example, require physicians and psychologists to examine patients case by case. In addition, case studies are commonly used in business, information systems, and law curricula to help students bridge the gap between foundational studies and practice.1

Principal use: Case studies can be used in both qualitative and quantitative research. In qualitative research case studies can be: • Exploratory (to learn more about what is happening in a particular context) • Descriptive (to provide lengthy, in depth descriptions) • Explanatory (to explain a phenomenon in a particular context, useful when conducting causal studies)

Advantages: Case studies can provide a deep understanding of events, people or organizations and can explain complex social phenomena.

Shortcomings: The researcher cannot control events and inferences may not always be generalizable. A case can suggest an understanding or explanation in a given context. What is learned may only be transferrable if the study design included multiple cases (which can become expensive).

Examples in informatics: Ash JS, Gorman PN, Lavelle M, Payne TH, Massaro TA, Frantz GL, Lyman JA. A Cross-Site Qualitative Study of Physician Order Entry. J Am Med Inform Assoc 2003;10:188-200.

Koppel R, Metlay JP, Cohen A, Abaluek B, Localio AR, Kimmel SE, Strom BL. Role of Computerized Physician Order Entry Systems in Facilitating Medication Errors. JAMA 2005;293:10,1197-1203.

Sources: 1. Berg, Bruce L. Qualitative Research Methods for the Social Sciences, 6th ed. Pearson, Allyn & Bacon, 2007.

2. Crabtree, Benjamin F. and William L. Miller. Doing Qualitative Research, 2nd ed. Sage, 1999.