The voices heard and the voices silenced: recruitment processes in qualitative interview studies

Abstract

Background Recruiting busy health care providers into research can be challenging. Yet, the success of a research project can hinge on recruitment response rates. This article uses a case study to demonstrate how qualitative researchers creatively readjusted their methods when standard methods were not yielding enough recruitment response with the aim of supporting other researchers with their recruitment. Methods Case Example-Interest was expressed but response rates were low among nurses and health care aides in a research project on person-centred health care in a personal care home research site. The research team reconceptualized the participation design, creating a research 'event', which accommodated the time constraints and work culture of the respondents. The research event was much better attended than standard interview recruitment. Results The research event approach overcame barriers to participation. An 80% response rate resulted. Standard response rates for research interviews tend to be well under 20%. Discussion Successful recruitment hinged on the researcher's willingness to reconceptualize the recruitment approach part-way through, when recruitment difficulties were encountered. The high response could be attributed to the methods' alignment to the available time and work culture in respondent-centred ways. The results suggest that attending to aspects of the work culture can increase recruitment, improve the chances of successful data collection, and reduce the likelihood of research 'stall'. Conclusion New and creative approaches to recruiting nurses and health care aides to qualitative research studies can help to meet recruitment targets. Rethinking and redesigning recruitment strategies after research begins, can be a mark of a successful research strategy and not a failure of research design.

Ethical and methodological issues in qualitative studies involving people with severe and persistent mental illness such as schizophrenia and other psychotic conditions: a critical review

“…Given the above, it seems plausible to argue that the research society needs to reflect upon implicit authority that may be built into healthcare organizations and affects who will be invited to take part in research and who will not. The lack of recognition regarding recruitment in qualitative studies is noticeable as it is often more challenging than expected and more significant than generally acknowledged (Kristensen & Ravn, 2015). One consideration is the need for careful reporting regarding how the selection process is conducted in qualitative studies involving individuals with severe and persistent mental illness such as schizophrenia and other psychotic conditions.…”

Omni-relevant and contingent membership categories in research interview and focus group openings

“…is also important to note that (as alluded to above) a number of activities that may serve to establish the relevance of membership categories may have been performed prior to the actual occasion on which the recordings were produced, including recruitment and informed consentrelated activities (see, e.g., Kristensen and Ravn, 2015;McCormack et al, 2013). While our lack of recorded access to these activities may thus limit our ability to pinpoint the precise moments in the research process at which particular categories first become relevant, our data nonetheless enable us to consider some ways in which they are (re)established in the talk that immediately precedes the onset of interview and focus group interactions.…”

Students’ Perspectives on Bullying

“…Was it a peer norm in the class? Others have identified a similar issue when trying to recruit men for studies on friendship (Butera, 2006) and paid domestic labour (Kristensen & Ravn, 2015), and have suggested that gendered identities may be at play, when men may perceive the research agenda as threatening where there is a female researcher but have also positioned the research topic as feminine.…”