Researching experiences of cancer: the importance of methodology

Authors: Entwistle, V.; Tritter, J. Q.; Calnan, M.

Source: European Journal of Cancer Care, Volume 11, Number 3, September 2002 , pp. 232-237(6)

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Abstract:

ENTWISTLE, V., TRITTER J. Q. & CALNAN M. (2002) European Journal of Cancer Care11, 232-237 Researching experiences of cancer: the importance of methodology

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.

Keywords: research methodology; cancer care; patient experiences; experiences of care provision; user involvement

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2354.2002.00344.x

Publication date: 2002-09-01