Qualitative Methodologies as an Intervention: Beyond Program Planning and Implementation

An article by LPHI's Evaluation and Research team titled Qualitative Methodologies as an Intervention: Beyond Program Planning and Implementation was recently published in a supplemental issue of the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice. The article focuses on how the LPHI Evaluation and Research team utilized multiple qualitative methods and methodologies as a key component of the Primary Care Capacity Project (PCCP) mixed methods evaluation.

PCCP is part of the larger Gulf Regional Health Outreach Project (GRHOP), a series of 4 integrated, 5-year projects to strengthen health care in certain Gulf Coast communities in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and the Florida Panhandle.

This article highlights several qualitative methods and methodologies PCCP utilized to develop the project areas of focus, evaluate clinical transformation interventions, and provide data and support to foster ongoing quality improvement approaches. While the methods achieved their evaluation purposes, they also had unanticipated benefits for participating health centers and community stakeholders. This article highlights the qualitative methods selected at each point in the evaluation as well as how the participatory and action-oriented methodologies became interventions in themselves, leading to the empowerment of participants and stakeholders.