Identify differences between quantitative and qualitative designs and research methods.

Literature search, rapid critical appraisal, and summary

Quantitative designs and research methods are used to measure a phenomenon using numerical data, while qualitative designs and research methods use open-ended questions, observations, interviews, and other non-numerical approaches to understand the underlying meaning of a phenomenon. Quantitative research can provide reliable statistics that can be generalized to a larger population; it is used in fields such as economics or public policy. Qualitative research provides detailed insights into how people think, feel, or behave in certain contexts; it is often used in fields such as psychology or anthropology.