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

Natalie Tyldesley-Marshall, Sheila Greenfield, Susan J. Neilson, Jenny Adamski, Sharon Beardsmore, Martin English and Andrew Peet
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Natalie Tyldesley-Marshall: Institute of Cancer and Genomics, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, 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

Societies, 2020, vol. 10, issue 1, 1-14

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.

Keywords: shadowing; qualitative research; research methodology; CYP; paediatric patients; interviews; sensitive research; chronic illness; brain tumours (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A13 A14 P P0 P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 Z1 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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