Data Storytelling with Networks and Narratives

Integrating Quantitative Networks and Qualitative Narratives for Systems Insights

In complex systems like healthcare, decision-making requires both broad structural understanding and deep contextual insight. This project integrates quantitative network analysis with qualitative narrative synthesization to provide systems administrators with actionable insights into healthcare access in the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina. By mapping relationships between barriers and enablers and pairing them with lived experiences, this approach highlights structural complexities and leverage points within healthcare delivery.

Building Narrative Synthesizations

Narrative synthesization involves distilling qualitative interviews into structured thematic stories that capture the experiences of patients and healthcare providers. This process, inspired by Jason De León’s ethnographic methodology, reconstructs stories using interview data, preserving the depth of lived experience while making insights accessible to decision-makers. The narratives in this study were derived from ethnographic interviews coded into thematic categories using NVivo. Rather than relying solely on direct quotes, the approach reconstructs interviewee perspectives in a way that contextualizes systemic issues within personal experiences.

Thematic synthesis was used to identify recurrent patterns of barriers and enablers, such as long wait times, lack of trust in the system, financial burdens, and provider shortages. These human-centered insights reveal how systemic inefficiencies impact real individuals, making it easier to design interventions that align with lived realities.

Network Mapping Analysis

Complementing the qualitative synthesis, network analysis was employed to visualize relationships between identified barriers and enablers. Using Gephi, a network of interrelated challenges and facilitating factors was constructed based on coded qualitative data.

Concept Maps: Barriers and enablers were mapped using a To-From relationship matrix, identifying strong and weak ties between issues.
Structural Complexity Analysis: The density of connections revealed systemic bottlenecks, such as financial constraints limiting access to care and provider shortages exacerbating long wait times.
System Performance Indicators: Quantitative metrics, including commonality, adaptability, and structural complexity, were incorporated to assess the feasibility and impact of potential interventions.

By visualizing these connections, administrators can identify high-leverage intervention points—such as improving triage systems, addressing provider retention, or enhancing insurance functionality—to create meaningful improvements in healthcare access.

Bridging Lived Experience with Systemic Analysis

Integrating narrative synthesis with network mapping allows for a holistic understanding of healthcare barriers and enablers. While the network maps illustrate the systemic structure of challenges, narratives ground these insights in the human experiences that define them.

This dual approach enhances decision-making in the following ways:

Identifying Systemic Gaps: Mapping relationships between barriers highlights key friction points in service delivery.
Humanizing Data: Synthesized narratives provide depth, ensuring that policies remain connected to lived realities.
Guiding Targeted Interventions: By combining prevalence data with relational analysis, interventions can be designed to address high-impact bottlenecks.

Conclusion

This project demonstrates how a transdisciplinary approach combining applied anthropology and systems engineering can uncover deep insights into healthcare access. By pairing the structural clarity of network analysis with the nuance of ethnographic narratives, this method offers a powerful tool for designing evidence-based, context-aware policy interventions.