Proceedings of the 8th World Conference on Qualitative Research

Introduction

In 2020, the onset of a global health pandemic forced health researchers to rapidly adopt remote methods of data collection. For those conducting qualitative research, where context, rapport and rich communication are critical, this abrupt conversion was particularly significant. As in-person activities resume, there have been calls to retain the increased flexibility and accessibility offered by remote communications which, in some cases, have facilitated inclusion of people for whom travelling or face-to-face communication are challenging.

Goals and Methods

The QRDC Study aims to produce evidence to guide researchers to design high-quality, remote qualitative research. To achieve this, we ask which remote methods, work for whom in what contexts? A realist review was conducted with programme theories developed from existing literature, interviews with qualitative health and social care researchers, and interviews with members of the public who had previously taken part in qualitative, health or social care research. The process has been guided and informed by a diverse, public reference panel. The research was undertaken in the UK.

Results

An overview of the guidance – the Framework for Remote Qualitative Data Collection (FRQDC) - will be presented. Key themes are building rapport remotely, agency of participants and managing privacy.

Conclusion

Qualitative researchers need to make decisions about whether and how to employ remote data collection methods. For any given research question there will be benefits and disbenefits of both remote and in-person data collection methods. Where remote options are offered, researchers may need to work harder to gain data equivalent to that collected in-person. The guidance has a role to play in maximising the opportunities of qualitative remote data collection in health research and contributing to an inclusive research culture. Further work is needed to explore the applicability of the FRQDC in a global context.