Introduction:

Qualitative research applied to health recognizes the interdependence between the researcher and the actors who participate in the knowledge construction process. The influence of this paradigm is given by the importance it gives to the knowledge of common sense, daily life, the space where existence takes place and it is built, in order to find answers and other dimensions to the health-disease process.

Objective:

to present the importance of the main elements of the paradigm of qualitative research in health through medical education.

Methods:

a review of bibliographic sources and documents obtained from searches in Google Scholar, SciELO, and Info med databases was carried out based on keywords defined during the 2016-2020 period. 37 documents were selected that included regulations and classic studies related to the topic. The content analysis of the selected documents allowed exposing the importance of the main elements of the qualitative research paradigm in health, which were critically assessed taking into account the experience of the authors.

Development:

qualitative research explores the cultural and symbolic conception that the population has. It is useful to understand the subjective aspects of health and disease, it generates valuable information about the context-environment, experiences and meanings that the subjects construct.

Conclusions:

the qualitative paradigm in health research allows entering the world of common sense and search for meanings to be able to find meaning to the symptom, to the sign from the subjective experience of those who suffer from it.

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