Direct observations may be conducted in the home, or the clinic, with each setting providing its own type of information. Observations in a clinic-type setting are useful when observing behavior between individuals, such as between parents and children. Home observations are useful for understanding the whole scope of influences on a family. Home visits may help pinpoint problems quickly in a way that traditional interviews cannot. For example, a breastfeeding baby with slow weight gain may be distracted from nursing at home because of the chaotic or noisy environment.
Qualitative techniques yield in-depth, detailed, and rich information.
The qualitative techniques that have been described above will be helpful during many phases of the evaluation. These techniques, and the survey techniques described in Section 6, will yield the most comprehensive data.