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The Role of Qualitative Methods in Designing Health Care Organizations

University of Chicago, jjohnso2{at}medicine.bsd.uchicago.edu

Paul Barach

Utrecht University Medical Center and University of South Florida

Qualitative research methodologies can play an important role in health care design as they can provide contextual data about health care settings—specifically the people, processes, and patterns that make up the daily work of providing health care. Health care is provided in complex environments with intricate webs of relationships, which represent the multiple interactions with people, information, technology, culture, and the physical environment in which the care is provided. One could ask, "Is good design possible without an understanding of the context in which the work occurs?" Qualitative methods can capture the experiential aspects of design and usability; however, certain qualitative methods are better suited to capture the complexity of health care. These include observations, focus groups, and interviews, which are discussed in depth.

Key Words: qualitative methods • hospital design • observations • focus groups • process mapping

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