Modern Methodologies: Adapting to Today’s Research Demands

October 10, 2025

Modern Methodologies: Adapting to Today’s Research Demands

There was a time in market research when quant meant surveys and qual meant focus groups. Today that landscape has changed.

Artificial intelligence (AI) tools, for example, are now woven into both quant and qual approaches, enabling predictive modelling, smarter surveys, and AI-assisted analysis of interview transcripts. This has created a new range of possibilities for research that simply did not exist a decade ago.

In the first in our three-part series on Modern Methodologies: Adapting to Today’s Research Demands we establish the foundations by exploring the difference between quantitative and qualitative research, and why methodologies matter. The second article will examine quantitative research in depth and its future trends, while the third will focus on qualitative research. Drawing on insights from Jaime Potts, M3 Global Research’s Vice President of Qualitative Research, and Beckie Hubertus, Vice President of Quantitative Research, we highlight trends from both approaches.

Quantitative vs. Qualitative

Quantitative healthcare market research is defined as the collection and analysis of numerical data to measure healthcare professionals’ prescribing behaviour, patient adoption, and market trends in pharmaceuticals. It uses structured methods like surveys to produce statistically reliable results that support data-driven decisions.

Qualitative healthcare market research, by contrast, is the collection of non-numerical data to explore healthcare professionals’ attitudes, motivations, and experiences. It uses open-ended techniques like interviews or focus groups to gain deeper insights.

Why the Methodology Matters

1. Methodology Dependencies

Choosing the right methodology is not a tick-box exercise. It depends on where you are in the product or marketing lifecycle, the size of your target audience, and the level and complexity of the data you need. In early ideation, when an idea is still forming, qualitative research can explore attitudes, perceptions, and unmet needs. Later, as a product nears launch or reaches maturity, quantitative research becomes more valuable for measuring awareness, trial, and usage at scale.

Similarly, the target universe shapes choice. When the audience is large, quant offers the statistical power needed for confident decision-making. When the audience is finite, such as in rare disease, qual often produces richer insights than chasing a sample size that is impossible to achieve.

2. Increasing Audience Complexity

The growing complexity of healthcare audiences also makes methodology selection more nuanced. Specialties are highly segmented, treatments are increasingly tailored, and care pathways are more fragmented than ever. Researchers must balance feasibility with quality, especially when respondent universes are small and the same individuals are often approached by multiple studies.

Maintaining panel health is critical to avoid fatigue and skewed results. At the same time, the competitive research landscape means HCPs and patients are receiving more survey invitations than ever before, so engagement strategies and study design must be sharper and more considerate of the time investment involved in participation.

3. The Importance of Blended Approaches

The challenges highlighted above explain why combined approaches are becoming more important. One method rarely delivers the full picture on its own. For example, qualitative observation or interviews before survey roll-out can help refine language and ensure questions are interpreted correctly. Surveys can then quantify findings at scale, while follow-up interviews explore unexpected results in more depth.

In niche markets, understanding the doctor and patient experience might begin with survey responses but require qualitative follow-up to uncover the “why” behind the numbers. Blending methods ensures that insights are not only reliable in scale but also meaningful in context.

Conclusion

Methodology selection is not one-size-fits-all. It is a strategic choice that shapes the reliability, depth, and relevance of insights. Quantitative research offers scalability, structure, and predictive power. Qualitative approaches provide empathy, nuance, and context. When combined, they deliver insights that are both robust and meaningful.

As healthcare markets grow more complex, agility in methodology choice is essential. Research must adapt to the stage of the product lifecycle, the availability of the audience, and the type of understanding required. This sets the foundation for the rest of the series of articles.

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