Qualitative research methods in palliative medicine and palliative oncology--an introduction.

Qualitative research methods can be used as a complement to quantitative methods in palliative research. Possible applications are 1) for the induction of hypotheses, 2) for the development of quality-of-life instruments, 3) for the exploration of complex phenomena and personal experiences, 4) for studying attitudes, 5) for the observation of interactions and 6) for validation of quantitative results. Depending on the context and the research question, different qualitative methods such as hermeneutics, phenomenology, grounded theory or phenomenography might be used. The assumptions, the main steps and the methods are briefly described, with some examples from palliative situations.