Qualitative Research Interest Group
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AGENDA / DISCUSSION / DECISION /Welcome
Sarah Halen / Join our meeting by calling this number: 662-1290, passcode 987654. / Welcome
Topic: Round-table Discussion:
Continuing to Test A Tool/Set of Questions for Ethical Assessment of A Qualitative Research Study
Facilitator: Sarah Halen / In preparation for today’s meeting, members were sent an email on 11/9/16 with the following information: The purpose of this session is to get feedback on the performance of the tool from potential end-users. For the purposes of this exercise, please review the attached article as if it was a proposal (introduction – methods) to the IRB using the attached tool. The success of this session depends on the preparation and participation of the attendees.
Discussion of Tool usability – discussion on ‘how to use it’’
· From left to right (tool): definitions, examples, caveats, suggestions for mitigation strategies , and notes
· Comments: edit long definitions versus bullet points (Paul); also consider appendix with definitions if going with bullet points.
· Where to put sample bias; consider changing ‘researcher bias’ to bias.
· Consider a summary statement text box.
· Other formatting ideas: title and date at top; repeat heading on page 2.
· Decision to keep the far left headings in rows (population; study design/data collection and analysis
Discussion of using the tool with the published study (Bing-You et al., 2015). Group considered the following:
· Power disparity – low risk
· Sampling concerns (assume addressed by IRB, as study is already published)
· Question about consenting process
· Group agrees – no physical harm
· Potential for self-editing, confidential process, consider neutral interviewers.
· Burden of participation – length of questions (table 1 semi-structured interviews); not sure if all the questions were asked. Discussion if ‘burden’ is an ethical risk/harm versus consideration about study design itself (see item below – design bias)
· (Researcher) bias – acknowledged investigators’ role/relationship to participants; employment bias.
· Design bias was discussed such as recall bias; group discussed purpose of the tool to assess ethical risk/harm and not necessarily design evaluation.
· Confidentiality – some concern that investigators knew the participants in a work setting / Next Steps:
Sarah will revise the table as discussed today.
Invite IRB members to review the final version. Kristiina will contact Pat Robinson and Emily Berg from the IRB Compliance office and ask them to review the tool.
Paul suggests we consider conducting a study of how the tool is used in the future, if the MMC IRB adopts the tool; and potential for manuscript.
The group summarized the ethical assessment of the Bing-You (2015) article using the tool as follows: study has overall low risk; consider clarifying consenting process and possibly neutral investigators or including other investigators to analyze the data.
Request for topics/ areas of interest for 2017
Facilitator: Kristiina Hyrkas / Members were asked: Since the QRIG began meeting in 2014, the major topics of our meetings have been presentations by PIs about qualitative methods used in their studies, and the development of a qualitative research tool for ethical assessment. Please think about any suggestions you may have for future meeting topics, meeting format or others areas of interest and share these ideas at our next meeting.
Other topics for consideration:
· March 2017 (tentative) - Patient Experience/Interns (Sarah Nelson)
· Possibly May 2017 - Surgical Resident study (James Whiting)
· Paul suggested asking, Lester Leung who has several studies: (1) examining diagnosis of silent ischemia from physician/patients’ perceptions and (2) stroke in young adults (age <30 yrs.). / January 2017 – Deb Kramlich, PhD, RN, “Challenges and Facilitators of Recruitment: Lessons Learned from Conducting a Focused Ethnography in a Vulnerable Rural Population”
May, July and Sep 2017 open, Kristiina and Paul will follow-up with investigators.
Meeting / Next meeting: January 26. 2017 Dana #5. / Adjourned at 5:00 p.m.
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