Method Design: Qualitative Research on Telemedicine and Healthcare

This report outlines a qualitative research design to investigate the impact of telemedicine on healthcare administration. The study aims to understand the changes brought about by telemedicine through key informant interviews with nursing managers, customer care heads, and hospital administrators. The research employs a key informant interview schedule, modifying questions as needed to gather comprehensive data. The goal is to develop a conceptual framework and explore how telemedicine influences healthcare administration in its natural setting. Data saturation will determine the sample size. The report details the participants, materials (introduction letter, interview schedule, audio recorder, and consent forms), and the procedure for data collection. References to relevant sources are also included.

Running head: METHOD DESIGN
Method Design: How Telemedicine Changes Healthcare Administration
Name
Institution

METHOD DESIGN
Method Design and Justification
Telemedicine is making significant strides in expanding and changing the healthcare
system in different realms. However, due to the fact that there is a lack of conceptual model
indicating the changes lined to telemedicine, the current project a qualitative research
approach. Qualitative research entails the collection of data in terms of descriptions to
unearth the characteristics of nature of the targeted phenomenon that cannot be quantified, for
example, experiences, attitudes, and meanings (Hammarberg, Kirkman, & de Lacey, 2016).
The current project, thereby, seeks to get an understanding of how telemedicine changes
healthcare administration. The information collected from the participants through interviews
due to the nature of selected participants will help to develop mind maps that will guide in the
generation of a conceptual framework that will help in subsequent quantitative research as it
will highlight possible interactions between the variables. The data collected in this project
helps to collect data from the participants’ standing point where key informants will be used
to inform about telemedicine.
Until now, there is a lot of information on what telemedicine can do to improve the
healthcare system, but this has not yet been validated through use of scientific methods to add
to the pool of referential evidence. Until now, there have been numerous statements on the
role of telemedicine but a true understanding of its impact in different reals are yet to be
elucidated. Hence, this research is meant to begin research into this topic by engaging in this
qualitative research process through which a conceptual model will be developed. Thereby, it
is important to obtain all the different perceptions and views held by healthcare workers. In
view of the fact that qualitative research studies phenomenon in its natural setting, the current
project will help to understand how telemedicine influences healthcare administration in its
raw form (Jones, 1995). Thereby, the research will comprehensively collect all the perceived
benefits.

METHOD DESIGN
The current project seeks to understand how telemedicine changes healthcare
administration. In reference to all that has been said above, there are no specific changes that
the current study seeks to address; hence, it seeks to explore all the possible changes and the
best way to achieve this is through qualitative research where key informants, those who are
well-versed with the technology, will provide information based on a set of predetermined
questions” key informant interview. The research question prompts the ‘how,’ which is
typical of qualitative research, as indicated by Sargeant (2012). Evidently, change is not
quantifiable and that is why it can only be understood from descriptions provided by the
participants (Hammarberg et al., 2016). Healthcare administration is one realm of the
healthcare system and similarity of texts will help to model categories that will be interlinked
to develop the conceptual framework (Colorado State University, 2019).
Participants
The study will target providers who use the technology for administrative purposes at
a higher rate, for example, nursing managers, head of customer care personnel, and the
hospital administrator. Usually, data saturation is the method used to determine sample size
in that data is collected for as long as there is new theory-based data emerging. As a result,
data will be collected from participants in various hospitals until data saturation is attained
(Vasileiou, Barnett, Thorpe, & Young, 2018).
Procedure
Data will be collected based on the participants’ convenience using a key informant
interview schedule. However, in view of the fact that the researcher is also an instrument of
qualitative research, the questions will be continually modified to ensure that all issues are
addressed. The interview will take place in a private place to uphold research principles as
information should be collected while protecting the identity of the participant. Time for the

METHOD DESIGN
interview will be dependent on the availability of the participant that will be determined
through deliberations between the research and a participant.
Materials
An introduction letter will enable the researcher to gain access to the study setting and
be able to collect data. A key informant interview schedule will be used to collect
information. Consent will be obtained from the participants to record the sessions using an
audio recorder. Hence, an informed consent form will be used to obtain consent from the
participants on their voluntary participation in the study. Sometimes, the participants may
wish to back up their claims by using existing secondary texts in the form of annual reports to
augment their statement (Crossman, 2019).

METHOD DESIGN
References
Colorado State University. (2019). Characteristics of Qualitative Observational Research.
Retrieved from https://writing.colostate.edu/guides/page.cfm?
pageid=1352&guideid=63.
Crossman, A. (2019). An Overview of Qualitative Research Methods: Direct Observation,
Interviews, Participation, Immersion, Focus Groups. Retrieved from
https://www.thoughtco.com/qualitative-research-methods-3026555.
Hammarberg, K., Kirkman, M., & de Lacey, S. (2016). Qualitative research methods: when
to use them and how to judge them, Human Reproduction, 31(3), 498–501.
https://doi.org/10.1093/humrep/dev334.
Jones, R. (19950. Why Do Qualitative Research? It Should Begin to Close the Gap between
the Sciences of Discovery and Implementation. BMJ, 311, 2.
Sargeant J. (2012). Qualitative Research Part II: Participants, Analysis, and Quality
Assurance. Journal of graduate medical education, 4(1), 1–3. Doi: 10.4300/JGME-D-
11-00307.1.
Vasileiou, K., Barnett, J., Thorpe, S., & Young, T. (2018). Characterising and justifying
sample size sufficiency in interview-based studies: systematic analysis of qualitative
health research over a 15-year period. BMC medical research methodology, 18(1),
148. Doi: 10.1186/s12874-018-0594-7.