[How to adapt qualitative research to confinement contexts]

Area of Science:

• Health Sciences
• Social Sciences
• Digital Humanities

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic imposed significant restrictions on in-person research activities.
• Traditional qualitative methodologies require adaptation to the current digital context.
• The internet and social media offer new avenues for data collection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To address the need for adapted qualitative methodologies in the context of COVID-19.
• To explore the potential of online platforms for qualitative data collection.
• To provide guidance and best practices for conducting e-research in health sciences.

Main Methods:

• Review and selection of data collection tools suitable for qualitative online research.
• Identification of techniques for remote observation, conversation, and information analysis.
• Development of a set of rules for designing effective e-research.

Main Results:

• The internet and social media facilitate the collection of diverse textual, visual, and narrative data.
• E-research reorients traditional qualitative approaches to information gathering and analysis.
• A selection of techniques and 10 design rules for online qualitative research are presented.

Conclusions:

• Qualitative research must adapt to the digital era, embracing e-research methodologies.
• Online tools and techniques enable continued research despite physical limitations.
• Best practices are crucial for ensuring the validity and reliability of e-research in health sciences.