OBJECTIVES: In the field of health economics and outcomes research, qualitative research is often conducted with key stakeholders to gain insights into the patients’ journey, experiences, and disease burden beyond quantitative research methods. The purpose of this review was to identify and evaluate qualitative research methods used for evidence generation.

METHODS: A literature review using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) checklist was conducted to identify peer-reviewed literature published in English from 1/1/2017 to 1/1/2022 in PubMed; screening was conducted by two independent reviewers.

RESULTS: 661 abstracts were identified, and 76 articles were included. Qualitative research was defined as data obtained through open-ended or conversational communication. 85% involved qualitative interviews (structured, in-depth, or free form) for data collection, 8% involved focus groups, and 6% included a mixed methods approach. The majority (n=38) used thematic analysis for evaluating qualitative data; others used a variety of data analysis methods including content analysis (n=9), phenomenology approach (n=6), framework analysis (n=4), narrative analysis (n=2), and abductive analysis (n=1). The common therapeutic areas included were oncology (n=28), neurological disorders (n=12), metabolic disorders (n=7), rare diseases (n=6), and cardiovascular diseases (n=3). Included studies utilized qualitative methods to understand disease symptoms, challenges of living with the condition, barriers to using services/technologies for symptom improvement, recovery from serious illnesses, and aspects of everyday life; one study specifically focused on payer audiences or health technology assessment (HTA) bodies.

CONCLUSIONS: Qualitative assessments provide an opportunity to amplify the patients’ voices. These findings confirm that researchers utilize numerous and creative qualitative research methods to enhance the ability of capturing nuances in the patients’ own voices. In the future, it will be important to standardize research approaches and establish robust protocols to increase the scientific validity of this research modality, particularly given its increasing use in HTA processes.