Abstract
Background The Covid-19 pandemic has a significant impact on
professionals working in the medical area, with very high workload and tightened
safety restrictions for physicians, nurses, caregivers, and patients. One of the
main target participants in health services research are medical professionals.
Their experiences contribute immensely to any research project aiming to improve
delivery and quality of care. Furthermore, their input gives significantly
greater insights into the handling of the pandemic and into what future
improvements should be considered. In our research project ADAPTIVE (Impact of
Digital Technologies in Palliative Care) we evaluate with qualitative research
methods the impact of a web-based software on communication, teamwork, and
lasting transformations in accountability in multidisciplinary teams
(e. g., medication and independent decisions). In this paper, we discuss
the challenges and benefits of conducting a qualitative research project under
pandemic conditions by illustrating the progress of ADAPTIVE.
Methods ADAPTIVE started in March 2020 and ended in August 2021. For data
collection, we interviewed 26 participants about using a web-based program to
facilitate the exchange of patient information in multidisciplinary teams in
outpatient palliative care in Germany (mainly physicians and nurses). However,
due to emerging hygiene regulations, corona-related restrictions, and the
ongoing workload of medical professionals, the recruiting and interviewing
process were challenging. Hence, we had to modify the original study design of
two face-to-face interviews per participant and a focus group discussion into
one telephone interview. The focus groups were cancelled.
Results We discussed several adjustments to the data collection. However,
the privacy policies of different clinics, participants’ lack of
experience with video calls, and a potential poor internet connectivity
eliminated the option of digital video interviewing. Therefore, we interviewed
21 participants by telephone and only five face-to-face. Further, the focus
group discussions initially planned had to be dropped since a simultaneous
gathering of the participants was not possible due to several reasons.
Nonetheless, we obtained many insights into the usage of digital support systems
in palliative care by conducting 26 interviews, allowing us to complete the
research project.
Discussion Telephone interviews come with limitations. Firstly, it may be
difficult for participants to establish a trusting relationship with the
interviewer. Secondly, non-verbal communication is lost during a telephone
interview. However, expanding the survey methodology to include telephone
interviews gave us the option of allowing us to expand the recruitment
nationwide and overcome issues successfully.
Conclusions Recruitment and data collection showed to be more
time-consuming under pandemic circumstances, and further survey methods such as
focus groups were nearly impossible. However, a qualitative research design
offers greater flexibility when adapting study designs.
Key words
Qualitative Research - Covid-19 - Pandemic - Research Process - Data Collection - Interview
