Chronic pain affects millions of Americans. Diagnosing, treating, and understanding chronic pain creates many challenges for healthcare. Is the challenge on
how to properly diagnose and manage a patient’s pain? Or is the challenge on whether or not to prescribe pain medications given the concerns with addiction
as a result of the opioid epidemic?
Consider the questions posed above. How might the use of qualitative and quantitative methods serve to provide answers for researchers regarding the
challenges associated with chronic pain? What can qualitative data provide that quantitative data cannot, and vice versa? How might a mixed methods
approach fill in the gaps to provide a clearer understanding of the problem and potential solutions?
For this Discussion, reflect on an issue or problem in healthcare that may benefit from a mixed methods approach. Think about the differences between
qualitative and quantitative research methods and designs, as well as how these two methods might work well together. Consider how a mixed methods
approach supports evidence-based practice.
