IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsoctx/v10y2020i1p14-d314454.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Exploring the Role of ‘Shadowing’ as a Beneficial Preparatory Step for Sensitive Qualitative Research with Children and Young People with Serious Health Conditions

Author

Listed:
  • Natalie Tyldesley-Marshall

    (Institute of Cancer and Genomics, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
    Institute of Applied Health Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
    Birmingham Children’s Hospital, Steelhouse Lane, Birmingham B4 6NH, UK)

  • Sheila Greenfield

    (Institute of Applied Health Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK)

  • Susan J. Neilson

    (School of Nursing, Institute of Clinical Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK)

  • Jenny Adamski

    (Birmingham Children’s Hospital, Steelhouse Lane, Birmingham B4 6NH, UK)

  • Sharon Beardsmore

    (Birmingham Children’s Hospital, Steelhouse Lane, Birmingham B4 6NH, UK)

  • Martin English

    (Birmingham Children’s Hospital, Steelhouse Lane, Birmingham B4 6NH, UK)

  • Andrew Peet

    (Institute of Cancer and Genomics, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
    Birmingham Children’s Hospital, Steelhouse Lane, Birmingham B4 6NH, UK)

Abstract

This article aims to explore and record the role of shadowing in preparation for a qualitative study involving children and families with sensitive health issues. The researcher was engaged for a study involving qualitative research involving paediatric patients (those under 18 years old) and their families, but was unfamiliar with a hospital environment and interviewing children and young people (CYP) with a serious health condition. The researcher ‘shadowed’ healthcare professionals (HCPs) at a children’s hospital during their day-to-day work in order to prepare for the research interviewing. From shadowing, the researcher gained: familiarity with a hospital environment, organisational processes, and medical terminology; an understanding of the appropriate ways to refer to patients; confidence and competence in talking to children with serious health conditions; and resilience to becoming upset during interviews while hearing patients’ distressing stories—they became ‘desensitised’. Shadowing can therefore be highly beneficial for researchers undertaking research in unfamiliar contexts, environments, and populations prior to interviewing.

Suggested Citation

  • Natalie Tyldesley-Marshall & Sheila Greenfield & Susan J. Neilson & Jenny Adamski & Sharon Beardsmore & Martin English & Andrew Peet, 2020. "Exploring the Role of ‘Shadowing’ as a Beneficial Preparatory Step for Sensitive Qualitative Research with Children and Young People with Serious Health Conditions," Societies, MDPI, vol. 10(1), pages 1-14, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsoctx:v:10:y:2020:i:1:p:14-:d:314454
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4698/10/1/14/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4698/10/1/14/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Manos Savvakis & Manolis Tzanakis, 2004. "‘The Researcher, the Field and the Issue of Entry: Two Cases of Ethnographic Research concerning Asylums in Greece’," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 9(2), pages 86-97, May.
    2. Duncan, Rony E. & Drew, Sarah E. & Hodgson, Jan & Sawyer, Susan M., 2009. "Is my mum going to hear this? Methodological and ethical challenges in qualitative health research with young people," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 69(11), pages 1691-1699, December.
    3. Rhodes, Lorna A. & McPhillips-Tangum, Carol A. & Markham, Christine & Klenk, Rebecca, 1999. "The power of the visible: the meaning of diagnostic tests in chronic back pain," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 48(9), pages 1189-1203, May.
    4. Young, Bridget & Dixon-Woods, Mary & Findlay, Michelle & Heney, David, 2002. "Parenting in a crisis: conceptualising mothers of children with cancer," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 55(10), pages 1835-1847, November.
    5. Sharon Mallon & Iris Elliott, 2019. "The Emotional Risks of Turning Stories into Data: An Exploration of the Experiences of Qualitative Researchers Working on Sensitive Topics," Societies, MDPI, vol. 9(3), pages 1-17, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Namakau Kakanda–Sinkala, 2022. "Distress Protocol for a PhD study exploring the Implementation of the Pregnancy Re-entry Policy among Stakeholders at Primary school level in Chongwe District, Zambia," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 6(10), pages 680-682, October.
    2. Ernst, Mareike & Brähler, Elmar & Klein, Eva M. & Jünger, Claus & Wild, Philipp S. & Faber, Jörg & Schneider, Astrid & Beutel, Manfred E., 2020. "What's past is prologue: Recalled parenting styles are associated with childhood cancer survivors' mental health outcomes more than 25 years after diagnosis," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 252(C).
    3. Higgins, Angela & Porter, Sam & O'Halloran, Peter, 2014. "General practitioners' management of the long-term sick role," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 52-60.
    4. Nicola Illingworth, 2006. "Content, Context, Reflexivity and the Qualitative Research Encounter: Telling Stories in the Virtual Realm," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 11(1), pages 62-73, April.
    5. Reventlow, Susanne Dalsgaard & Hvas, Lotte & Malterud, Kirsti, 2006. "Making the invisible body visible. Bone scans, osteoporosis and women's bodily experiences," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 62(11), pages 2720-2731, June.
    6. Copelton, Denise A. & Valle, Giuseppina, 2009. ""You don't need a prescription to go gluten-free": The scientific self-diagnosis of celiac disease," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 69(4), pages 623-631, August.
    7. Naraindas, Harish, 2006. "Of spineless babies and folic acid: Evidence and efficacy in biomedicine and ayurvedic medicine," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 62(11), pages 2658-2669, June.
    8. Adam Pattison Rathbone & Kimberly Jamie, 2016. "Transferring from Clinical Pharmacy Practice to Qualitative Research: Questioning Identity, Epistemology and Ethical Frameworks," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 21(2), pages 1-9, May.
    9. Buchbinder, Mara, 2015. "Neural imaginaries and clinical epistemology: Rhetorically mapping the adolescent brain in the clinical encounter," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 143(C), pages 304-310.
    10. Nelson Turgo, 2012. "‘I Know Him So Well’: Contracting/tual ‘Insiderness’, and Maintaining Access and Rapport in a Philippine Fishing Community," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 17(3), pages 19-31, August.
    11. Greco, Monica, 2012. "The classification and nomenclature of ‘medically unexplained symptoms’: Conflict, performativity and critique," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 75(12), pages 2362-2369.
    12. Rebekah Tan & Serena Koh & Min En Wong & Ma Rui & Shefaly Shorey, 2020. "Caregiver Stress, Coping Strategies, and Support Needs of Mothers Caring for their Children Who Are Undergoing Active Cancer Treatments," Clinical Nursing Research, , vol. 29(7), pages 460-468, September.
    13. Maslen, Sarah & Harris, Anna, 2021. "Becoming a diagnostic agent: A collated ethnography of digital-sensory work in caregiving intra-actions," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 277(C).
    14. Juel, A. & Erlangsen, A. & Berring, L.L. & Larsen, E.R. & Buus, N., 2023. "Re-constructing parental identity after parents face their offspring's suicidal behaviour: An interview study," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 321(C).
    15. Katharine Venter, 2011. "Fathers ‘Care’ Too: The Impact of Family Relationships on the Experience of Work for Parents of Disabled Children," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 16(3), pages 66-81, August.
    16. Kate Reed & Laura Towers, 2023. "Almost Confessional: Managing Emotions When Research Breaks Your Heart," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 28(1), pages 261-278, March.
    17. Vindrola-Padros, Cecilia & Brage, Eugenia, 2017. "What is not, but might be: The disnarrated in parents' stories of their child's cancer treatment," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 193(C), pages 16-22.
    18. Janna Klostermann & Laura Funk & Holly Symonds-Brown & Maria Cherba & Christine Ceci & Pat Armstrong & Jeanette Pols, 2022. "The Problems with Care: A Feminist Care Scholar Retrospective," Societies, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-15, March.
    19. Timmermans, Stefan & Freidin, Betina, 2007. "Caretaking as articulation work: The effects of taking up responsibility for a child with asthma on labor force participation," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 65(7), pages 1351-1363, October.
    20. Jaehee Yi & Min Ah Kim & Jina Sang & Kwynn M. Gonzalez-Pons, 2022. "How Does Social and Work Life Change for Fathers of Children With Cancer?," SAGE Open, , vol. 12(4), pages 21582440221, October.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsoctx:v:10:y:2020:i:1:p:14-:d:314454. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.