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Cómo seleccionar una metasíntesis cualitativa para la práctica basada en la evidencia en salud
How to select a qualitative meta-synthesis for evidence-based practice in health
Palabras clave:
Investigación cualitativa, salud humana, literatura de revisión, revisión sistemática, práctica basada en la evidencia (es)Qualitative research, human health, review literature, systematic review, evidence-based practice (en)
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La metasíntesis cualitativa permite interpretar y sintetizar conocimientos para comprender fenómenos, informar la práctica clínica, asesorar políticas y desarrollar teoría. De esta forma, se consolida como una estrategia clave para superar enfoques reduccionistas que distorsionan la realidad.
Objetivo Identificar los aportes metodológicos y prácticos de la metasíntesis cualitativa a la práctica basada en la evidencia.
Método Se realizó una revisión narrativa. La búsqueda abarcó PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Google Académico y Connected Papers.
Resultados Se incluyeron 30 artículos en los que se identificaron seis tipos de metasíntesis: metaetnografía, metaestudio, metasíntesis, síntesis interpretativa crítica, síntesis narrativa y meta-síntesis cualitativa.
Conclusión La metasíntesis es un método potente en la práctica basada en la evidencia, permite interpretar críticamente los estudios cualitativos. Cada enfoque responde a distintas necesidades: la metaetnografía y la metasíntesis cualitativa generan nuevas interpretaciones, mientras que el metaestudio y la síntesis interpretativa crítica ofrecen análisis rigurosos. La selección del método adecuado depende del fenómeno de estudio.
Qualitative meta-synthesis allows for the interpretation and integration of knowledge to understand phenomena, inform clinical practice, guide policy, and develop theory. In this way, it becomes a key strategy to overcome reductionist approaches that distort reality.
Objective To identify the methodological and practical contributions of qualitative meta-synthesis to evidence-based practice.
Method: A narrative review was conducted. The search covered PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Google Scholar, and Connected Papers.
Results Thirty articles were included, identifying six types of meta-synthesis: meta-ethnography, meta-study, meta-synthesis, critical interpretive synthesis, narrative synthesis, and qualitative meta-synthesis.
Conclusion Meta-synthesis is a powerful method in Evidence-Based Practice, enabling critical interpretation of qualitative studies. Each approach responds to different needs: meta-ethnography and qualitative meta-synthesis generate new interpretations, while meta-study and critical interpretive synthesis provide rigorous analyses. The choice of the appropriate method depends on the phenomenon under study.
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