Qualitative and Mixed Methods Research Designs: Much-Needed but Underutilized in Transfusion Medicine (26EL-606)

Please note: AABB reserves the right to make updates to this program.

• Educational Track: Quality Education
• Topics: Blood Donation & Collection, Patient Transfusion
• Intended Audience: Medical Directors, Physicians, Research Scientists, Residents/Fellows, Scientists, Students (MD, MT, SBB)
• Teaching Level: Basic, Intermediate

• Director: Phil Accooe, MBA, MS, MLS(ASCP)^CMSBB^CM, CLS, CABP, PMP®, Supervisory Clinical Laboratory Scientist, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Long Beach, CA
  Moderator: Quentin Eichbaum, MD, PhD, MPH, MFA, MMHC, FCAP, Director, Vanderbilt Pathology Program in Global Health, Dept. of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
  Speakers:

  • Lauren Crowder, PhD, MPH, CPH, Associate Principal, Senior Scientist, IQVIA
  • Shana D. Hughes, PhD, MPH, Assistant Investigator, Vitalant Research Institute, San Francisco, CA
  • Kelly Holloway, PhD, MSc, Scientist, Donation Policy and Studies Department, Canadian Blood Services; Assistant Professor, University of Toronto Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation

• Program Description

  In contrast to commonly used quantitative research designs, this eCast will present the basic structures and methods of qualitative and mixed methods research designs for consideration in transfusion medicine research. Speakers will present compelling arguments for transfusionists to consider using these designs and their associated methodologies to approach critical questions in transfusion medicine that can only be adequately answered using these methods. Speakers will describe the basic structures of the major qualitative and mixed methods designs as well as the basics of their data collection and analysis methods and the strengths and weaknesses of the selected designs. Examples of qualitative and mixed methods studies will be presented throughout to illustrate important content. Attendees of the program will gain a deeper appreciation of basic qualitative and mixed methods designs and be encouraged to consider applying them to answer their own future research questions. (The eCast will draw from Research Design for Transfusion Medicine, a forthcoming book from AABB Press).

  Learning Objectives

  After participating in this educational activity, participants should be able to:

  • Summarize the role and value of qualitative and mixed methods research in advancing evidence-based practice within transfusion medicine, including how these approaches complement quantitative research to address complex clinical and patient-centered questions.
  • Identify three ways qualitative and quantitative research approaches differ, and describe the qualitative data collection techniques (i.e., interviews, focus groups) most-commonly employed in transfusion medicine.
  • Discuss strategies for ensuring rigor and trustworthiness in qualitative and mixed methods research, including data analysis and validation techniques.
  • Differentiate between major mixed methods designs (i.e., convergent, explanatory sequential, exploratory sequential) and their application in transfusion medicine research.
  • Explain why alignment between research questions, methodologies, sampling strategies, and analysis approaches (including integration for MMR) is crucial for strengthening the evidence base for transfusion medicine.

  Registration

  Registration includes access to both the live and on-demand version of this eCast.

  If you are a facility interested in participating in this eCast, simply complete the Group Viewing registration form and AABB will provide detailed instructions to share with your team approximately one week prior to the live program (each team member to register for the program utilizing a promocode). For single viewers, simply click on the Register button below to register.

  Please note: registration for the live eCast will close 1 hour prior to the eCast start time. If you register after this time, you will receive access to the on-demand eCast when it is available.

  Single Viewer	Register
  Group Viewing	Register

  Continuing Education Credit

  This activity is eligible for one (1) continuing education credit/contact hour for Physicians, Nurses, California Lab Personnel, Florida Lab Personnel and General Participation credit. AABB reserves the right to reduce or increase the number of credits granted based on the final activity duration. For more information on each credit type please visit our Continuing Education Credits webpage.

  There is no financial support for this activity.

  

  In support of improving patient care, this activity has been planned and implemented by the Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies (AABB), which is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

  Physicians (ACCME): AABB designates this live activity for a maximum of one (1) AMA PRA Category 1 Credit^TM. AABB designates this enduring activity for a maximum of one (1) AMA PRA Category 1 Credit^TM. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

  Claiming Credit
  Live Activity - Upon completion of the live activity, you will receive instructions to complete your evaluation, which is necessary to claim credit and receive your certificate of attendance/completion (credit must be claimed by the date provided in the instructions). The evaluation can be found by logging into the AABB Education Platform.

  Enduring Activity - Once the enduring (on-demand) program is available, you will receive instructions to access the AABB Education Platform. Upon completion of viewing the enduring activity, you will need to complete the evaluation, which is necessary to claim credit and receive your certificate of completion (credit must be claimed by the date provided in the AABB Education Platform).

  Program & Credit Expiration Dates:

  • Live Activity Program Date: February 11, 2026; Credit Expiration Date: March 11, 2026
  • Enduring Activity Program Dates: February 11, 2026 – February 10, 2029; Credit Expiration Date: February 10, 2029

  Disclosure Declaration

  It is the policy of the Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies to ensure independence, balance, objectivity, and scientific rigor and integrity in all of their CE activities. Faculty must disclose to the participants any relationships with commercial companies whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients. AABB has evaluated, identified, and mitigated any potential conflicts of interest through a rigorous content validation procedure, use of evidence-based data/research, and a multidisciplinary peer review process. The following information is for participant information only. It is not assumed that the presence of such relationships will have a negative impact on the presentations.

  Disclosures for the planners of this event can be found here. Disclosures for the program faculty, peer reviewers, and AABB personnel are provided at the beginning of the program.

  Faculty Biographies

  Phil Accooe MBA, MS, MLS(ASCP)^CMSBB^CM, CLS, CABP, PMP® was appointed as a Supervisory Clinical Laboratory Scientist within the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in February 2016. He is stationed at the VA Long Beach (VALB) Healthcare System as the facility’s Transfusion Service Supervisor. He serves as an educator, document control administrator, and purchase card holder for Pathology & Laboratory medicine Service. Currently, he chairs AABB's RISE committee alongside Terrie Foster of Canadian Blood Services.

  
  

  Quentin Eichbaum MD, PhD, MPH, MFA, MMHC, FCAP, was born and raised in Namibia and South Africa. He initially studied law at the University of Cape Town and then completed his MD, MPH, PhD/postdoctoral studies at Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston followed by residency and fellowship training at Massachusetts General Hospital. He is currently Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and immunology and Professor of Medical Education and Administration at Vanderbilt University where he also directs the fellowship in pathology, as well as the Pathology Program in Global Health and the Vanderbilt Pathology Education Research Group. He serves on numerous national and international global health education and pathology committees. For example, he chairs the Global Transfusion Forum at AABB, and the International Affairs Committee at ASFA. He is on the Board of Directors on the Consortium of Universities for Global Health (CUGH - the largest academic global health organization in the world with over 180 institutions and a network of 30 000) and is the Chair of the CUGH Education Committee. He co-founded the Consortium of New Sub-Sahara African Medical Schools (CONSAMS) and is involved in health professional education and clinical medicine in several African countries.

  
  

  Kelly Holloway, PhD, MSc, is a medical sociologist with interdisciplinary training in health policy and political economy. She is a Scientist with Canadian Blood Services donation policy and studies department and holds a status position as assistant professor at the University of Toronto's institute of health policy, management and evaluation. Dr. Holloway has led numerous projects and been published in highly regarded interdisciplinary journals, including Vox Sanguinis, Transfusion Medicine, BMJ, Social Science & Medicine, Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, Canadian Medical Association Journal, Journal of Responsible Innovation, and Science, Technology, & Human Values. She is a leading expert in Canada on plasma donation and leads a SSHRC funded study on immunoglobulin recipients and their providers. Her scholarship is dedicated to creating health policy that promotes equitable and responsible biomedical innovation.

  
  

  Shana D. Hughes, PhD, MPH, is an assistant investigator at Vitalant Research Institute (VRI). As an applied medical anthropologist, she often employs qualitative and ethnographic methods to investigate questions raised by clinical or epidemiological data, such as why people engage in particular behaviors, and what those behaviors mean to them. Fundamentally, her research attends to the way notions of risk, identity and relationships - which take shape within personal, socio-cultural, and historical contexts - are implicated in health decisions, with the aim of understanding how this knowledge might be applied to improve health outcomes. Dr. Hughes's research program at VRI is centered on blood donation, theorizing it as a bio sociocultural process and seeking ways to translate research findings into practice. Her ultimate goal is to contribute to building the safe and sufficient blood supply required to meet the demands of current and future patients.