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| Mike Saks and Judith Allsop |
Chapter 4 - Using Documents in Health Research
Andy Alaszewski |
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| Contributor
biography |
| Andy Alaszewski is Professor of Health
Studies and Director of the Centre for Health Services
Studies at the University of Kent. In the past ten years
he has focussed on the ways in which the assessment, perception
and management of risk structures the ways in which health
and social care are delivered and users’ experiences
of services. He is editor of the international journal
Health, Risk and Society (published by Taylor and
Francis). His methodological text for Sage on Using
Diaries for Social Research was published in 2006
and he is author of nearly 200 publications. |
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| Chapter overview |
| This chapter introduces students to
the ways that documents have been and can be used for
health, the research issues for which it is appropriate
are examined. The strengths and weakness of the approach
are explored. The main alternative forms of documentary
research - unsolicited and solicited documents –
are considered. Finally, the chapter addresses how documentary
data can be coded analysed and presented. |
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| Chapter links |
Chapter
16 - Mixed Methods and Multidisciplinary Research in Health
Care
Chapter 19 - Involving the Consumer
in Health Research
Chapter 21 - Writing Up Health
Research and Getting Published |
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| Suggested
Online Readings |
| Jacelon,
C.S. and Imperio, K. (2005) ‘Participant Diaries
as a Source of Data in Research With Older Adults’,
Qualitative Health Research, 15 (7): 991-97. |
| The paper suggests that solicited
participant diaries are an excellent source of data that
has not been given sufficient attention as a data collection
strategy for qualitative research. In a recent grounded
theory study designed to explore strategies used by older
adults to manage their chronic health problems, solicited
diaries, when combined with an initial and follow-up interview,
provided a rich source of data about day-to-day activities
of participants. There were three options for maintaining
the diary: written, audiotaped, or telephone conversation.
The solicited diaries were guided by a set of open-ended
questions designed to encourage participants to focus
on daily activities and reflect on their values. Examples
of data from participant diaries and suggestions for incorporating
solicited participant diaries into data collection strategies
for qualitative research are provided. |
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| Jones,
R.K. (2000) ‘The Unsolicited Diary as a Qualitative
Research Tool for Advanced Research Capacity in the Field
of Health and Illness’, Qualitative Health Research,
10 (4): 555-67. |
| In this article, the place of diary
method is examined in the context of qualitative tools.
It is argued that the analysis of both unsolicited and
commissioned diaries have value in social research. Different
kinds of diary usage are examined together and sources
of bias and weaknesses discussed. Although framework analysis
was originally developed for analyzing interview data,
it is seen as an appropriate qualitative tool for the
analysis of unsolicited diaries. An unsolicited diary
account of a patient suffering from cancer of the larynx
is explored in terms of its usefulness as a data source. |
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| Keleher,
H.M. and Verrinder, G.K. (2003) ‘Health Diaries
in a Rural Australian Study’, Qualitative Health
Research, 13 (3): 435-43. |
| This article describes a study based
on health diaries kept over a 16-week period by 118 rural
and remote-dwelling families in Victoria, Australia using
both open-ended and closed questions. Participants documented
their use of health services, episodes of illness, actions
taken to keep healthy, and reflections on services and
programs. The ways in which participants used their involvement
in the study to enrich their lives by accessing health
information and advice; following their interest in rural
health, and using the research process for social support
are explored. The difficulties of conducting the study
are considered. |
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| Further Reading |
| Alaszewski, A. (2006) Using Diaries
for Social Research. London: Sage. |
| This book provides a comprehensive
overview of the different ways in which diaries can be
used for social and health research, describing their
development and examining how the method can be most effectively
used in all the stages of the research process. |
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| Plummer, K. (2001) Documents of
Life 2: An Invitation to Critical Humanism. London:
Sage. |
| This is a key text that explores the
ways in which personal or documents of life can and should
be used in social health research, arguing that they can
restore the humanism to research. |
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| Prior, L. F. (2003) Using Documents
in Social Research. London: Sage. |
| This is an overview of the strategies
and debates surrounding the diverse range of documents
that can be employed in research, giving examples of their
use. |
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© Sage Publications Ltd.
