Despite a relatively long history of the application of qualitative research methods to human health concerns, these approaches remain relatively limited in animal health research. Nevertheless, there does appear to be a growing interest in this area, both within the research community and from government, funders and others.
Qualitative research is particularly concerned with making sense of phenomena in terms of the meanings that people bring to them. While scientific knowledge is often explicit (and hence can be readily written down) other forms of knowledge are often tacit and hence more difficult formally to articulate. The role of qualitative research is to give voice to such tacit information and to bring rigour to their interpretation.
Recent work from our group includes investigation of horse-owner decision-making and practices in response to equine colic (see: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1746-6148/10/S1/S1) and investigation of antimicrobial use and prescribing behaviours of pig farmers and veterinary surgeons (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25200432). The former study identified three key ways in which horse owners respond to colic (‘wait and see’, ‘lay treatments’ and ‘seek veterinary assistance’), whereas the latter study has identified important drivers of antimicrobial usage/prescription and helps identify potential barriers to reducing use of these drugs. Another study has unpacked issues of uncertainty in infectious disease modelling and identified the flexibility of this uncertainty and the role this plays in the construction of a “credible model” (http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0076277).
A repository for relevant qualitative research is being developed and can be accessed at: http://www.mendeley.com/groups/4347851/qrmah-qualitative-research-methods-for-animal-health/papers/.
To promote the use of qualitative research methods I recently set up, with my colleagues Prof Liz Perkins and Dr Francine Watkins from the University of Liverpool, the Qualitative Research Methods in Animal Health network (or QRMAH, pronounced “karma”). This network aims to bring interested researchers together to:
- Raise the profile of qualitative methods in animal health research
- Champion good practice in qualitative methods in animal health research
- Provide a focal point for dissemination of information and news
Current and planned activities for the network include:
- A website for dissemination of news and information (we have a temporary website at http://pcwww.liv.ac.uk/~robc/qrmah/) - the repository of relevant literature, mentioned above, can also be accessed via this site.
- An email mailing list (qrmah@liverpool.ac.uk) to facilitate discussion and exchange between interested people (you can join this list by sending the command SUB QRMAH your name in the body of an otherwise empty email to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.LIV.AC.UK, or email me at robc@liv.ac.uk)
- A 3-day course providing an introduction to qualitative research methods (23-25 June 2015), see: http://www.liv.ac.uk/infection-and-global-health/Qualitative-research-course/
Feel free to contact me for more information.
Rob Christley
Institute of Infection and Global Health,
University of Liverpool
T: 0151 794 6170
E: robc@liverpool.ac.uk
W: http://www.liv.ac.uk/infection-and-global-health/staff/robert-christley/
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