59. Establishing Dependability & Confirmability

About this lesson

In this module, we explore how to establish dependability and confirmability: two vital aspects of trustworthiness in qualitative research. These criteria ensure that research findings are consistent, data-driven, and not shaped by researcher bias, making them credible and useful in real-world healthcare contexts.

Learn how to implement strategies like audit trails, stepwise replication, peer audits, and code-recode procedures to support dependability. We also cover confirmability techniques such as researcher reflexivity, triangulation, and negative case analysis, which strengthen transparency and objectivity in qualitative studies.

The module also introduces the concept of authenticity: a powerful extension of trustworthiness that emphasizes fairness, awareness, empowerment, and social impact. Authenticity ensures qualitative research contributes not just to knowledge but to ethical, educative, and catalytic outcomes in healthcare practice and policy.

What You’ll Learn

• Practical strategies to ensure consistency and reduce bias in qualitative research
• Techniques like inquiry audits, team consensus, and triangulation
• How reflexivity and negative case analysis improve research reliability
• Authenticity as a measure of impact, fairness, and participant empowerment in healthcare studies

This module is ideal for students and professionals committed to conducting rigorous, reflective, and responsible qualitative research in healthcare, public health, nursing, and the social sciences.

Best For

• Health science and public health students
• Nursing, clinical, and implementation researchers
• Qualitative and mixed methods scholars
• Healthcare professionals interested in research-informed practice

Lesson notes

Full written notes for this lesson are in production. Until they publish, watch the video above and use the summary on this page as your study guide.