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Background: Qualitative research methods (QRMs) bear a critical role in psychiatry as they explore the phenomenology of psychiatric illness and its sociocultural dimensions. However, there is limited evidence regarding its use in psychiatric research in India. Aim: This study, under the aegis of mapping qualitative health research in India initiative, attempted to landscape the use of QRMs in psychiatry and elicited expert opinion on its potential, perceived quality, and scope for improvement. Materials and Methods: We reviewed studies using qualitative methodology published in the Indian Journal of Psychiatry (IJP) and the abstracts presented at the Annual Conference of the Indian Psychiatric Society (ANCIPS) between 2010 and 2019. Titles and abstracts were screened and shortlisted; full-text articles were checked to identify the relevant ones. In addition, ten experts comprising psychiatry journal reviewers, editors, and conference scientific committee members were interviewed to elicit their views and suggestions. Results: Out of 356 papers published in IJP between 2010 and 2019, only 12 papers used QRMs: five qualitative and seven mixed methods. Out of 2297 abstracts published between 2010 and 2019 in ANCIPS, only 28 had used QRMs, consisting of 20 qualitative and eight mixed methods. The findings reveal that qualitative research is still an understudied domain in Indian psychiatry with a substantial need for rigor and quality. Conclusions: To catalyze the use of qualitative research in Indian psychiatry, continuing medical education programs through workshops or webinar mode need to be imparted. These trainings should aim at building skills on qualitative study design, data collection, analysis, and writing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Global evidence indicates an association between poor WaSH practice and inferior health outcomes. In rural areas, this practice is predominantly compromised with limited access to safe drinking water, knowledge gaps, and unhealthy socio-behavioural practices. Suboptimal WaSH practice leads to increased vulnerability of various infections, thereby posing a challenge to the primary health care system., Methods: A community based cross-sectional study was conducted among 879 participants of two villages in Tigiria block, Cuttack district, Odisha, India. Information pertaining to socio-demography, WaSH practices and self-reported morbidities were captured and analysed. Bi-variate analysis was done to assess the association between WaSH practices and any acute illnesses. Differences were considered statistically significant if p-value was less than 0.05., Results: Tube well was the main source of drinking water (49.3%) followed by dug well (46.6%). Only 7.1% of participants reported to purify drinking water and around 40% were still practicing open defecation. The prevalence of acute and chronic illnesses was 9.2% and 19.1% respectively. Major acute illnesses were respiratory diseases, diarrhoeal disorders, and musculoskeletal problems, while major chronic illnesses were gastrointestinal problems, musculoskeletal problems, and hypertension. After adjusting for age, gender, and education, a significant odds ratio of 3.79 [CI = (1.23-11.70)] was observed between drinking water source (surface water Vs tube well water) for acute illnesses., Conclusions: Poor WaSH practices among rural people make them vulnerable to acute and chronic morbidities. Health awareness and socio behavioural changes pertaining to WaSH practices need utmost priority to ensure better health for rural people of Odisha., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest statement The authors declare no conflict of interest., (©2021 Pacini Editore SRL, Pisa, Italy.)