The day began with an Overview of Mixed Methods Research in Health Care by Vicki Plano Clark, PhD, which provided an overview of methods for research, including the philosophical underpinnings, rationales, and major mixed methods designs applied in the social and health sciences.
Michael Fetters, MD, MPH, MA, spoke about the Integration Procedures during Data Collection and Data Analysis, which explored challenges and strategies for sampling, data analysis and data integration within mixed methods approaches/designs.
Breakout sessions covered topics such as Creating and Managing Teams in Mixed Methods, led by Leslie Curry, PhD, which examined challenges and strategies for managing teams, using representational group theory as a guiding framework. Vicki Plano Clark, PhD, spoke to a group of doctoral students on Considerations for Emerging Scholars Using Mixed Methods, which offered students advice about common challenges associated with mixed methods dissertations, such as working with advisors, experiencing tension and wearing many “hats” .
Margaret Weeks, PhD, talked about Using Mixed Research Methods in Community Participatory System Dynamics Modeling of the HIV Care Continuum, describing and demonstrating the use of mixed methods in a community participatory project to “map” and simulate the HIV test-and-treat health care delivery system in Greater Hartford, CT. The resulting systems simulation model is designed as a learning and decision-making tool for the community to understand and improve services in order to eliminate the HIV epidemic.
The final session of the day highlighted challenges involved in publishing mixed methods research and discussed different venues and strategies for reporting the quantitative, qualitative, and integration components of mixed methods studies.