PTJ
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

First published on November 13, 2008

Physical Therapy 2009;89:91.

Physical Therapy
DOI: 10.2522/ptj.20070236
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
ptj.20070236v1
89/1/91    most recent
Right arrow Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when Rapid Responses are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Rauscher, L.
Right arrow Articles by Greenfield, B. H
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Rauscher, L.
Right arrow Articles by Greenfield, B. H
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Complore   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati  
What's this?

Perspective

Advancements in Contemporary Physical Therapy Research: Use of Mixed Methods Designs

Lauren Rauscher and Bruce H Greenfield

L Rauscher, PhD, is Assistant Professor (Sociology), Department of Human Development, California State University–Long Beach, Long Beach, California.
BH Greenfield, PT, PhD, OCS, is Assistant Professor, Division of Physical Therapy, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, 1441 Clifton Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30322 (USA).

bgreenf{at}emory.edu

The purpose of this article is to advocate for the use of mixed methods designs in contemporary physical therapist research. Mixed methods research is a design for collecting, analyzing, and mixing both quantitative and qualitative data in a single study or series of studies to both explain and explore specific research problems, thereby enriching the breadth and depth of understanding phenomena. These designs are particularly well suited for physical therapist researchers to reveal the complexity of disablement, rehabilitation, and recovery processes. Although contextual factors influence a person's health condition and recovery, they remain empirically less understood and underexplored by physical therapist researchers. To address this gap, the authors describe various combinations of quantitative and qualitative methods and data within a single study or set of related studies and the decisions that underlie the uses of these combinations. They include examples from current physical therapist research and applications from the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) model. They argue that the rigorous application of quantitative and qualitative methods and data can propel physical therapist research and practice forward by stimulating new research questions, creating a holistic understanding of patient injury and rehabilitation, and contributing to innovative, complex treatment interventions.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Complore Complore   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati    What's this?




HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH
Copyright © 2008 by the American Physical Therapy Association.