Introduction
Qualitative research in healthcare consists of studies using a variety of methodological approaches to gain in-depth insights into patients' and practitioners' experiences, perceptions, and social dynamics, particularly in relation to clinical interventions and their real-world acceptability and efficacy. There is growing concern regarding the underrepresentation of qualitative research in clinical journals,1 including Gastroenterology with less than 0.1% of published articles in the top 10 Gastroenterology journals classed as utilising qualitative methods.2
Aims & Methods
In this piece of research, we seek to gain a deeper understanding of the nature of qualitative research published in the top 20 Gastroenterology and Hepatology journals, and identify if there is a relationship between journals' SCImago journal rank indicator, a measure of scientific influence that accounts for both citations and the prestige of the journals where the citations originate, and the number of qualitative articles published in these journals over a 20-year period. We conducted a comprehensive PubMed search in April 2023, using a validated search strategy3 that encompassed a combination of terms, including "interview," "qualitative," and "experience," to identify qualitative studies, including those employing mixed methods, excluding reviews, published between 2002 and 2022 in the top 20 GI journals ranked according to their SCImago score. We used simple descriptive statistics to quantify the scope of the included articles, their provenance and the types of qualitative analytical methods used. We used Pearson's correlation coefficient to calculate the existence of any relationship between SCImago Journal rank indicator and the number of qualitative articles published per journal.
Results
We identified 68 journal articles (median 1 per journal, Q1=0, Q3=5, range = 0-17) that used qualitative methods for both data collection and, published in the top 20 GI journals over a 20 year period, making up less than 0.0008% of all published primary studies in these journals. Most focused on inflammatory bowel disease (n=30,44%) and liver transplant (n=16,24%), and were conducted in the USA (n=33, 49%) and the UK (n=12,18%). Most participants in the qualitative studies were patients (n=49,72%) and clinicians (n=25,37%). The main methods used for data collection were semi-structured interviews (n=51,75%) and focus groups (n=17,25%). Thematic analysis was the most common qualitative data analytical method used (n=36, 53%). There was a weak, non-significant correlation (r(18)=-0.19, p=0.43) between SCImago journal rank indicator and the percentage of published qualitative articles.
Conclusion
Our analysis indicates that qualitative research remains notably underrepresented in the top 20 GI journals in the last two decades. A majority of the published qualitative studies centred on inflammatory bowel disease and liver transplant, were primarily from the USA and the UK, and frequently used similar qualitative data collection and analytical methods. Although no apparent relationship between SCImago rank, and percentage of articles published that used qualitative methods was found, the lack of such articles in the top 20 GI journals suggests a potential bias against qualitative research by reviewers and editors or reluctance by researchers to submit qualitative articles to clinical GI journals. Expanding the visibility of qualitative research in GI journals can enhance our understanding of patients' and practitioners' experiences and contribute to more comprehensive and patient-centred care in GI medicine.
References
1. Greenhalgh T, Annandale E et al. An open letter to The BMJ editors on qualitative research. Bmj. 2016 Feb 10;352.
2. Peerally MF, Mohanan V, Verma A, et al. PTU-85 Playing Hide and Seek: Qualitative research and Gastroenterology. Gut 2021;70:A209-A210.
3. Booth A. Searching for qualitative research for inclusion in systematic reviews: a structured methodological review. Systematic reviews. 2016 Dec;5(1):1-23.
Disclosure
Nil to declare
