Challenges and Reflections from an International, Humanitarian, Short-term Surgical Mission on Collecting Ethnographic Data in a Remote Environment

Abstract

<p><strong>Background</strong> The experiences of nurses participating in ethnographic fieldwork have been well documented, but often feature short-term, intermittent periods in the field of less than a day.</p> <p><strong>Aim</strong> To provide an overview of methodological issues related to collecting data while undertaking a focused ethnography of nurses volunteering with a humanitarian organisation providing surgical care in a remote setting.</p> <p><strong>Discussion</strong> Particular challenges during the fieldwork included limited space and privacy influencing data collection and secure storage; sporadic and unreliable communications limiting contact with other members of the research team; the challenges of withdrawing from the intensity of the setting; and navigating blurred boundaries between the roles of clinician and researcher.</p> <p><strong>Conclusion</strong> Social research in practice, despite the best of intentions and significant planning, may not always travel the expected path of rational enquiry.</p>