While we love the allure of large numbers and the confidence instilled by small P values, we should remember that within the variables we count, there is variation and nuance that can be critically important to our understanding of how we provide surgical care and ways to improve it.¹ Unlike most quantitative methods that provide a 50 000-foot view, qualitative analysis starts from the ground and moves up. While we undoubtedly gain valuable knowledge from quantitative analyses, the goal of qualitative research is to understand not just how often, but why and how a phenomenon occurs by describing in rich detail procedures, processes, and relationships. Particularly in clinical domains like surgery, even the most advanced quantitative methods and the use of big data will leave us with residual questions about how to identify a specific path forward to address study findings. Thus, qualitative analysis can expose critical details and characterize events and concepts.

虽然我们喜欢大数字的诱惑力和小P值所赋予的信心，但我们应该记住，在我们所计数的变量中，变异和细微差别对于我们对我们如何提供外科护理以及改善方法的理解至关重要。它。^1个与提供50000英尺视野的大多数定量方法不同，定性分析从地面开始并向上移动。虽然毫无疑问，我们从定量分析中获得了宝贵的知识，但定性研究的目的不仅是通过详细描述程序，过程和关系来了解现象的发生频率，而且还应理解现象发生的原因和方式。特别是在诸如外科手术之类的临床领域，即使是最先进的定量方法和大数据的使用，也给我们留下了一些剩余的问题，那就是如何确定解决研究结果的具体途径。因此，定性分析可以揭示关键细节并描述事件和概念的特征。