Minimal Requirements in Reporting of Qualitative and Quantitative Studies: Critics on Two Papers

We read with interest two papers published in the two recent issues of nursing and midwifery studies. Reading these two papers motivated us to write this letter, on the importance of observing several basic requirements in reporting qualitative and quantitative studies. Here, we present our critics, firstly, on the qualitative paper and then, on the quantitative one. In the issue of March 2015, Moudi et al. (1) reported on " How Baluch women make decisions about the risks associated with different childbirth settings, in Southeast Iran ". Focusing on a cultural issue, as well as paying attention to the health of two vulnerable parts of the society (mothers and newborns), are strengths of this study. It is an important issue, especially due to ethnic diversity of the country and the critical importance of paying attention to the ethnic and cultural issues, when providing care and treatment to our patients. Therefore, the findings of this study can be used by the authorities in planning appropriate strategies for enhancing the mothers and newborns health, and, also, for preventing maternal and infant morbidity and mortality, as important healthcare quality indicators, in the region studied. However, several points can be noticed about this manuscript. The keywords of a paper play an important role in finding the paper by other researchers who are searching the subject (2). In this paper, the cultural and ethnic aspects, as well as the maternity issue of the work, are not present in the keywords selected by the authors. Although the authors have informed the readers that the complications surrounding childbirth are a major threat to a woman's health and a preventable cause of death, however, they did not present any data on the magnitude of these problems in the area or even in Iran. In total, the background needs more clarifications about the issue and, also, on why a qualitative study was needed. An important aspect in justifying the paradigm of a study (i.e. qualitative vs. quantitative) and the methodology of a study is the research question. Unfortunately, Moudi et al. (1) did not mention their research question and how this question reached in their mind, although they have written in the study objectives that 'the study explains how Baluch women make decisions regarding the risks associated with childbirth at home or in hospitals'. The study was conducted in Zahedan City, the capital of Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Iran. …