Prevalence and reporting quality of mixed methods studies in palliative care and end-of-life research: A methodological review

Abstract

Since the first decade of the century, researchers have increasingly recognized mixed methods research (MMR) as a valuable approach that can enhance the evidence base in palliative care and end-of-life research. While MMR allows researchers to better address the multi-faceted nature of the phenomena investigated in palliative care, there is however a lack of knowledge on the prevalence, characteristics and reporting quality of MMR studies published in this field. To address this gap, the purpose of this methodological review was to examine the prevalence, methodological features and quality of reporting of MMR articles published in eight well-established palliative care journals. All articles published in eight journals specialized in palliative care between January 2014 and April 2019 were screened. Included articles reported an MMR study. O’Cathain et al’s (2008) Good Reporting of a Mixed Methods Study (GRAMMS) criteria were used to assess the reporting quality of the articles. We identified 159 MMR articles published between 2014 and 2019, fewer than 5% of the empirical articles published in the eight journals during this six-year period. A considerable number used a convergent design and mentioned complementarity as the main rationale for integrating methods. The reporting quality of the articles was inadequate, especially with regard to the type of MMR design and the integration procedures used. This review revealed a low prevalence of MMR studies published in the eight journals examined, along with inadequate reporting quality. Recommendations are made to improve the quality of reporting of MMR in palliative care.