Recommendations for Virtual Qualitative Health Research During a Pandemic

2021 ◽  
pp. 104973232110368
Author(s):  
Tessa Pocock ◽  
Melody Smith ◽  
Janine Wiles
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Research Methods ◽  
Health Research ◽  
Qualitative Research Methods ◽  
Ethical Imperative ◽  
Qualitative Health Research ◽  
Online Focus Groups ◽  
Starting Point

Qualitative health research has been uniquely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Various public health directives will likely remain in place until this pandemic is fully controlled, creating long-lasting impacts on the design and conduct of qualitative health research. Virtual qualitative research provides an alternative to traditional interviews or focus groups and can help researchers adhere to public health directives. In this commentary, we respond to methodological needs created by the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, we explore unique elements of, and recommendations for, the design and conduct of obtrusive virtual qualitative research (online interviews, online focus groups, and email interviews) and demonstrate crucial ethical, recruitment, analytical, and interpretive considerations. Researchers are currently faced with an ethical imperative to advance virtual qualitative research methods and ensure that rigorous qualitative health research continues during this pandemic and beyond. Our discussions provide a starting point for researchers to explore the potential of virtual qualitative research.

scholarly journals A Rediscovery of Voice: The Story of Self Through a Qualitative Lens

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 77-91
Author(s):  
Sabina Choudhury
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Research Methods ◽  
Qualitative Research Methods ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The Creation

The following article tells the story of how a qualitative research methods PhD course and the creation of a researcher portfolio helped to answer the sometimes elusive question of, “Who am I as a researcher?” and ultimately led to a rediscovery of voice. This story describes how using various modes of inquiry set the groundwork for my rediscovery of voice. This is my story. This is my story about voice. This is my story about how this PhD course provided the starting point to discover who I was as a researcher, and, more importantly, allowed me to reclaim my lost voice.

scholarly journals Using Social Media in health research with women of reproductive age: Online Focus Groups on Facebook (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Camilla Gry Temmesen ◽  
Henriette Svarre Nielsen ◽  
Heidi Lene Myglegård Andersen ◽  
Kathrine Birch Petersen ◽  
Jane Clemensen
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Focus Group ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Health Research ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Reproductive Age ◽  
Women Of Reproductive Age ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Qualitative Health Research ◽  
Online Focus Groups

BACKGROUND Social media provides new possibilities within health research, especially in hard-to-reach populations. Women in Denmark and around the world postpone motherhood and risk infertility due to their advanced age when they try to conceive. To this date, no studies have explored Danish women’s reflections on timing of motherhood within a social media setting. OBJECTIVE To explore Facebook as a platform for qualitative health research for women of reproductive age. METHODS A qualitative study based on three online focus groups on the social media Facebook with 26 Danish women of reproductive age discussing timing of motherhood in January 2020. RESULTS Conducting online focus groups on Facebook were successful to this study as it made recruitment easy and free of charge, and the online approach was found eligible for qualitative data collection. All participants found it to be a positive experience to participate in an online focus group. More than half of the women participating in the online focus groups, felt that it was an advantage to meet on Facebook instead of meeting face-to-face. CONCLUSIONS Conducting online focus groups on Facebook is an eligible method to access qualitative data from women of reproductive age. Participants were positive towards being a part of an online focus group. Online focus groups on social media have the potential to give women of reproductive age a voice in the debate of motherhood.

Questions, design, and analysis in qualitative research

2020 ◽  
pp. 100-111
Author(s):  
Sara Mallinson ◽  
Jennie Popay ◽  
Gareth Williams
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Research Methods ◽  
Public Health Practice ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Qualitative Research Methods ◽  
Qualitative Approach ◽  
Health Practice ◽  
The Public ◽  
Study Designs

Our chapter provides a concise introduction to qualitative research methods and explains how a qualitative approach contributes to the public health evidence base and public health practice. After reading it, you will be able to; understand the key principles and features of qualitative research; decide when a qualitative approach is most appropriate; identify different study designs and methods and their strengths and weaknesses; understand the main steps in analysis and how to report findings from qualitative research.

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