Q-Methodology as a research design: A brief overview

Scientific research uses objective facts to build evidence. Due to restrictions in collecting objective data from study subjects and study aims, researchers may need to acquire subjective data. In such cases, qualitative and mixed-method designs are essential in medicine and allied fields. Medical and nursing research increasingly uses qualitative and mixed-method techniques. Mixed methods assess study participants' perspectives, opinions and outlooks on specific occurrences. Subjective data collection is like searching in the sea; potential data may be overlooked. Q-technique collects and analyses subjective data from study participants on a given topic. Q-methodology, Q-sort and Q-techniques are commonly used interchangeably, but they have different meanings. Q might be a data-gathering method or a study approach. This article discusses the basic process of using Q-methodology as a research design for novice researchers.