case study meaning

case study meaning

The Importance of Case Study Analysis

1. Introduction

Case studies are very detailed investigations of an individual or small group of people, usually regarding an unusual phenomenon or biographical event of interest to a research field. Although the good and the bad point of their real world performance are often debated and argued, the fact remains that case studies often provide greater understanding of what really takes place. In the past cases have been woodcuts, today they are often photographs. At other times the event is centered around a definable treatment but often the studies are exploratory including various medical reports. An important preliminary step in the research process is to isolate the problem. Many parts of the social sciences and health service have problems with the inability to state or articulate the issue, especially when the situation is one of great complexity and sensitivity. Looking at the question proposed, whatever it may be, reading it, writing it out, even reciting it will aid in assuring all circumstances are comprehended. This sounds pretty philosophical but all that’s really being said is that the dilemma needs to be fully understood. With this understanding will come the explicit definition of issues and the essential move toward case construction.

2. Definition of Case Study

Is case study synonymous with qualitative methods?

What is a case and case study? Researchers, on many occasions, before selecting case study methodology for their research question, might be interested in answering the question of what is a case and case study. This is because it might be easy to understand other methodologies, but it is always difficult to understand and visualize your own methodology. To answer these questions, I have tried to take the essence of the definitions given by Crowe (2011), Yin (1994), Stake (1995), and Thomas (2011). The essence gathered from the definitions is that a case is a phenomenon, an individual unit, a bounded system, or an entity, and the methodology of researching the case is case study. This essence is quite relevant and easier to understand. For example, if we say that a general and individual person has their own life experiences and as a whole, they might be considered as a unique system. So here, the unique system is a case and the research of the person’s unique life system is a case study.

Case study has been defined by different authors. Here it is defined by two different authors. According to Crowe (2011), case study is a research methodology that involves an empirical investigation of specific phenomena within a real-life context using multiple sources of evidence. Yin (1994) has defined case study as an empirical inquiry that investigates a contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context when the boundaries between the phenomenon and context are not clearly evident and in which multiple sources of evidence are used. The definitions of both authors talk about an empirical research study which looks to investigate a contemporary phenomenon.

3. Benefits of Case Study Analysis

The benefits of case study analysis are now well documented. The use of case studies research stimulates the development of analytical and problem-solving skills and can be conducted on an individual basis or as part of a group. Analysis can be a particularly effective way to think about learning opportunities. Since the process of analysis often requires an examination of a problem or situation in considerable detail, it can provide an effective means of developing a range of concepts and issues as well as allowing the student to apply these to practical situations. Case studies also provide a valuable resource for self-managed learning, as they allow the learner to identify issues and apply theory in a simulated real-world situation, without the pressures of functional inexperience in a business or organizational setting. This is supportive of the view that because the development of management skills occurs largely through experience, the more managers are able to work through real or simulated situations, to identify problems and to take action, the more they are likely to learn. It is this aspect of skill development through the application of theory in problem-solving that case study analysis is considered to be a tool that is particularly supportive to management learning and facilitation.

4. Steps in Conducting a Case Study

Step 1: Select the cases and determine data gathering and analysis techniques. During this phase, the researcher is to decide what type of case is to be selected and what will be learned. Whether it is on one extreme case or a deviant case, there exist several types of case studies that have different goals. The researcher must determine whether to study cases which are unique in some way or cases which are considered typical and may also select to examine multiple cases. Multiple cases are to be chosen when the type the researcher is to uncover is reliant on some sort of comparison. Each case selected may be a representative, a critical case, and an extreme or a deviant case, all of which help to facilitate the type of study to be conducted. If a representative quotes a retainer case, this item will serve to explain a problem that voters need to solve. The case may be a real case such as the outcome of a specific project it can also be situation due to a simulated event. The next decisions are whether the case will be prospective, retrospective or case. These set the moments the case is to be taken from and served to identify the best method for the case study. Longitudinal case studies rely on life and times of the case a case study may last up to 10 years. Meanwhile, the rest of the methods are to be only taken on only once and operational on events that have occurred within the past. Step one will determine the rest of the case study as to which techniques are to be used and which goals the researcher is trying to achieve.

5. Conclusion

It is now accepted that there is a need for change in the traditional medical model. A contemporary stochastic reasoning model calibrated to the individual patient would allow the formal process of decision analysis to take place. The rationale for its use has been given in this paper and can be summarized as follows. Increasing patient participation in medical decision making has been the subject of many recent studies and reviews. In this, it is clear from evidence in the literature that it is more important to patients than it was previously thought. A decision analysis provides a clear framework in which patient and physician can assess the risks and benefits of different therapeutic and diagnostic options. The chronic pain model proposed is with an estimated hidden Markov model, making decisions individual to the patient and calculating the optimal policy based on patient utility. This is precisely the sort of decision making which DMP can enhance. For the clinician, it makes the trade-off between exploratory therapies and the possible long-term implant of a spinal cord stimulator manifest. It can be shown to the patient exactly the relative benefits and their future risk of becoming paraplegic or incontinent; it aids in an informed choice. Finally, as already mentioned, we hope to assess the cost-effectiveness of a given treatment strategy for CPSP. Overall, there is a growing trend to use decision analysis in medical decision making and development of DMP for it provides an excellent springboard to formulate current and future medical foreign policy. In conclusion, this essay has attempted to outline a model which, although complex, promises significant potential for efficiently treating a common and distressing condition.