The Politics of Evidence

The evidence-based movement has influenced medical research to the point that the agendas and methods of qualitative inquiry are often excluded from resources of medical granting agencies. Yet, its narrow definition of what constitutes evidence and its myopic vision about health must be challenged. In this article, the author argues that qualitative research does contribute to a reduction in morbidity and mortality without the cost in dollars and lives that are necessarily incurred in evidence-based inquiry. She asserts that we must reframe our definition of evidence to meet this new ethic of inquiry--which she calls the ultimate ethic--as a way of conducting research.