ArticleBMC medical research methodology2019
How to analyse longitudinal data from multiple sources in qualitative health research: the pen portrait analytic technique.
Article in BMC medical research methodology, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 37 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
37 citing papers in PubMed.
- Trial
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- Identifying innovative models of urgent care in rural coastal areas in England: the Elevate study - a mixed-methods protocol.BMJ open · 2026Article
- "Lives and times": The case for qualitative longitudinal research in anatomical sciences education.Anatomical sciences education · 2026Review
- Criminal legal and behavioral health pathways in law enforcement-petitioned extreme risk protection orders.Injury epidemiology · 2025Article
- Chronicles of Involuntary Career Changes: A Qualitative Longitudinal Analysis.Journal of career assessment · 2025Article
- Article
- Exploring preparedness transitions in medicine and pharmacy: a qualitative longitudinal study to inform multiprofessional learning opportunities.Advances in health sciences education : theory and practice · 2025Article
- Lived experience of affordability as a barrier to prescription medicines: A longitudinal qualitative study.Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy · 2025Article
- Article
- The Learn Together programme (part B): evaluating co-designed guidance to support patient and family involvement in patient safety incident investigations.Frontiers in health services · 2025Article
- Involving stakeholders with lived and professional experience in a realist review of community mental health crisis services: a commentary.Research involvement and engagement · 2024Article
- Nurses' experiences and sense making of COVID-19 redeployment and the impact on well-being, performance, and turnover intentions: A longitudinal multimethod study.International journal of nursing studies advances · 2024Article
- Improving recovery after bowel cancer surgery: mixed methods feasibility study of a co-produced information intervention (Recover Together).Colorectal disease : the official journal of the Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland · 2024Article
- Negotiating grey areas: an interview-based analysis of paramedic uncertainty and decision-making in cardiac arrest events.BMC emergency medicine · 2024Article
- Article
- "It's just part of who I am…" Living with chronic headache: voices from the CHESS trial, a qualitative study.BMC neurology · 2024Article
- Mixed Methods EvAluation of the high-volume low-complexity Surgical hUb pRogrammE (MEASURE): a mixed methods study protocol.BMJ open · 2024Article
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Abstract
backgroundLongitudinal qualitative research is starting to be used in applied health research, having been popular in social research for several decades. There is potential for a large volume of complex data to be captured, over a span of months or years across several different methods. How to analyse this volume of data - with its inherent complexity - represents a problem for health researchers. There is a previous dearth of methodological literature which describes an appropriate analytic process which can be readily employed.
methodsWe document a worked example of the Pen Portrait analytic process, using the qualitative dataset for which the process was originally developed.
resultsPen Portraits are recommended as a way in which longitudinal health research data can be concentrated into a focused account. The four stages of undertaking a pen portrait are: 1) understand and define what to focus on 2) design a basic structure 3) populate the content 4) interpretation. Instructive commentary and guidance is given throughout with consistent reference to the original study for which Pen Portraits were devised. The Pen Portrait analytic process was developed by the authors, borne out of a need to effectively integrate multiple qualitative methods collected over time. Pen Portraits are intended to be adaptable and flexible, in order to meet the differing analytic needs of qualitative longitudinal health studies.
conclusionsThe Pen Portrait analytic process provides a useful framework to enable researchers to conduct a robust analysis of multiple sources of qualitative data collected over time.
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