Synergistic Research in Medical Education: Some Philosophical Reflections

Abstract

In this paper, we present and discuss the “synergistic research approach,” from quantitative and qualitative through mixed methods, as a term that refers to an academic endeavour in which researchers are not only committed to comprehensiveness and rigor, but also – and importantly – to excellence in peer processes that further enhance knowledge generation by emphasizing the philosophical underpinnings thereof. We outline the hermeneutic wager, which provides the philosophical grounds for synergistic research, and explain the reasons why we consider this perspective to be of particular interest in the health profession education field of inquiry.

Keywords

• Synergistic research
• medical education
• philosophy of science
• hermeneutic wager
• person-centred care
• research methods.