Abstract
This paper draws on contributions to and discussions at a recent MRC HSRC-sponsored workshop 'Researching users' experiences of health care: the case of cancer'. We focus on the methodological and ethical challenges that currently face researchers who use self-report methods to investigate experiences of cancer and cancer care. These challenges relate to: the theoretical and conceptual underpinnings of research; participation rates and participant profiles; data collection methods (the retrospective nature of accounts, description and measurement, and data collection as intervention); social desirability considerations; relationship considerations; the experiences of contributing to research; and the synthesis and presentation of findings. We suggest that methodological research to tackle these challenges should be integrated into substantive research projects to promote the development of a strong knowledge base about experiences of cancer and cancer care.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 232-237 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | European Journal of Cancer Care |
Volume | 11 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2002 |
Keywords
- research methodology
- cancer care
- patient experiences
- experiences of care provision
- user involvement