Task 3, Unit 2 – The worst possible idea.
Unit 2, Section 1: Choosing The Right Approach.
Q1: Compare and contrast quantitative and qualitative research strategies that could be used for your project.
Quantitative Research [1]:
Focus on collecting data and applying statistical analysis.
Seek to establish relationships, correlations, or causal links between variables.
Employ a deductive approach, testing hypotheses derived from theories.
Aim for generalizability and general laws that apply to a larger population.
Emphasise objectivity, precision, and replicability.
Qualitative Research [2]:
Understanding the meaning, context, and subjective experiences of individuals or groups.
Data collection that involves open-ended questions and flexible approaches.
Unit 2, Section 2: Finding a Needle in a Haystack.
Q2: Identify strategies to enhance validity, reliability, and generalisability.
Sample historical results of which patients matched which donors over a period in the past, this is the baseline of what actually happened.
Use the same matching data to train the AI.
Present the same patients to the AI and record the predicted type of donor.
Compare predicted typing to actual donors returned for that patient.
Compare predicted typing to entire panel for any matching donors.
Q3: Design a data collection method appropriate for your project / research or problem area.
A wealth of data relating to patient/donor HLA type matching is available direct from real world databases. For the Welsh Bone Marrow Donor Registry alone there is a donor panel of over 100k Welsh donors along with associated matching data.
The WMDA hold a database of over 41 million donors worldwide.
The EMDIS network contains shared data from aproximately 34 different countries around the world.
Samples of this data, either random or a specific cross section including DNA type, ABO/Rh, age, ethnicity and geographic location as some examples and could be used to train several different models to compare results.
References:
[1] Goertzen MJ, “Introduction to quantitative research and data”, [Online] Available: https://librarysearch.uwtsd.ac.uk/discovery/openurl?institution=44WHELF_UWTSD&vid=44WHELF_UWTSD:44WHELF_UWTSD_VU1&volume=53&date=2017&aulast=Goertzen&issue=4&issn=0024-2586&spage=12&auinit=MJ&title=Library%20technology%20reports.&atitle=Introduction%20to%20quantitative%20research%20and%20data&sid=google [Accessed 12/06/2023]
[2] British Medical Journal, “Qualitative research in health care: Assessing quality in qualitative research”, [Online] Available: https://libkey.io/libraries/1422/openurl?sid=google&auinit=N&aulast=Mays&atitle=Assessing+quality+in+qualitative+research&id=doi:10.1136/bmj.320.7226.50&title=BMJ+:+British+medical+journal.&volume=320&issue=7226&date=2000&spage=50&issn=1759-2151 [Accessed 12/06/2023]