Exploring the Role of ‘Shadowing’ as a Beneficial Preparatory Step for Sensitive Qualitative Research with Children and Young People with Serious Health Conditions

This article aims to explore and record the role of shadowing in preparation for a qualitative study involving children and families with sensitive health issues. The researcher was engaged for a study involving qualitative research involving paediatric patients (those under 18 years old) and their families, but was unfamiliar with a hospital environment and interviewing children and young people (CYP) with a serious health condition. The researcher &lsquo
shadowed&rsquo
healthcare professionals (HCPs) at a children&rsquo
s hospital during their day-to-day work in order to prepare for the research interviewing. From shadowing, the researcher gained: familiarity with a hospital environment, organisational processes, and medical terminology
an understanding of the appropriate ways to refer to patients
confidence and competence in talking to children with serious health conditions
and resilience to becoming upset during interviews while hearing patients&rsquo
distressing stories &ndash
they became &lsquo
desensitised&rsquo
Shadowing can therefore be highly beneficial for researchers undertaking research in unfamiliar contexts, environments, and populations prior to interviewing.