Examining the value of using naturally occurring data to facilitate qualitative health research with ‘seldom heard’ ‘vulnerable’ groups: A research note on inpatient care

This research note explores two inter-connected ideas. First, that the category of ‘vulnerable’ groups has expanded and has sometimes been used to exclude seldom heard groups from research. The underpinning protectionist polemic, whilst well-intended, has arguably led to disempowerment of the very groups they intended to safeguard. Learning lessons from advances in research with children can be utilised to develop a more inclusive and empowering approach with adults while simultaneously addressing safeguarding. Second, the note values the potential of using naturally occurring data as a mechanism for including vulnerable groups in research. An example is offered attending to frequently excluded inpatient voices in healthcare studies. The practical and ethical benefits of using naturally occurring data are explored for countering arguments against the inclusion of vulnerable groups using an example of autistic inpatient research from the UNITE study. Researchers are invited to make practical adjustments to maximise involvement opportunities, and a reminder that capacity to take part in research activity may be facilitated by these modifications. Naturally occurring data offer the possibility of understanding complex hospital practices without additional burdens of researcher-generated methods.