Qualitative health research: challenges for the 21st century.

To understand complex human phenomena, it is necessary to triangulate the results of multiple separate projects that use diverse methods. Using the example of suffering, a research program emerging from studies exploring comfort was initiated. A model of enduring and emotional suffering (or releasing) was developed, and, using this model as a scaffold, eight subsequent projects explored the interaction of enduring and emotional suffering in various contexts and with different populations. Although there remains much to learn, the researcher argues that using this programmatic approach to explore new areas is an efficient and effective way to gain understanding of complex human phenomena.