All registrants have been emailed copies of the program, with zoom links for each day. If you have not received your program, please contact Suyin Hor directly.
1400 – 1530 Canberra
0500 – 0630 London
2300 – 2430 Rochester
Older people and medication safety – A video-reflexive ethnography in Aotearoa New Zealand
Associate Professor Aileen Collier, Dr Deborah Balmer, Dr Katherine Bloomfield
>> Abstract
Polypharmacy is common in older frail people with multimorbidity placing them at significant risk, especially during frequent care transitions i.e. movement
Between clinicians, care settings and/or organisations. Conventional research has tended towards a negative focus on medication safety, such as non-compliance. Further the voices of older people themselves are not always heard. This study used video reflexive ethnography (VRE) to instead critically investigate and ‘exnovate’ the nuances of medication safety across care transitions – home, hospital, GP practice, aged care, and how medication safety is enacted and accomplished in different settings and at transitions. We recruited twenty older people (age range 68–89 years) and five families or whānau from the inpatient rehabilitation older person’s service in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Eight of those participants consented to the field researchers (a senior nurse specialist experienced in VRE and the other an experienced social researcher) shadowing them during healthcare interactions following discharge from hospital. This included attendance at the GP, visits to the community pharmacy and, for one person, an outpatient specialist appointment and, for another, a visit to an aged residential care facility. We drew upon the expertise of older people, as well as clinicians and researchers, to uncover how medication safety is defined, managed and negotiated. This paper highlights the medication safety work of older people and their caregivers themselves along with reflexive session findings of the study. In so doing we highlight previously ‘unseen’ aspects of polypharmacy. Medication safety was often distributed among multiple agents and rarely fixed. Safety and unsafety were often contested amongst and between patients and their unpaid carers as well as health professionals; some older people (although not all) enacted agency themselves in relation to their polypharmacy even when deemed by others not to be able to.
Navigating Ethical Complexity: Applying Video Reflexive Ethnography in the Residential Aged Care Home Environment
Ms Nicola Gearon, Dr Joanne Hilder, Dr Jade Cartwright, Professor Alison Mudge, Dr Anna Tynan
>> Abstract
Background – Research with older people is crucial for understanding and improving care. Our research was a first to use video-reflexive ethnography to explore life story work within a rural residential aged care setting. The project aimed to investigate the ‘in the moment’ use of life story work and examine its implications for person-centred communication and relationships between care staff and residents, particularly those living with dementia. The study aimed to identify barriers and facilitators to inform implementation strategies that could be embedded by the organisation.
Method – The success of this project required timely ethics approval. Some of the key ethical considerations for this project included:
- Consent – Supported and tailored for participants at different levels of cognitive ability, ensuring that all participants were able to provide informed consent appropriate to their capacity.
- Handling Situations Where a Participant Might Pass Away – Developed protocols to sensitively manage the death of participants during the study, ensuring respect and dignity for the deceased and their families.
- Managing Researchers’ Presence in Participants’ Homes – Addressed the potential discomfort of having researchers in participants’ living spaces by establishing clear plans for participants and non-participants to ensure their privacy and comfort.
Results – We successfully obtained ethics approval in a timely manner. The thoughtful consideration of ethical issues was essential to our process. Our study is ongoing, and we are in the midst of completing the video data collection phase.
Discussion – Ethical concerns should not deter researchers from pursuing valuable projects. Our experience demonstrated that with careful planning and consideration of ethical risks, it is possible to navigate these challenges successfully. We emphasised the importance of addressing potential ethical issues early in the research design phase to ensure smooth implementation.
VRE, older people, and aged care (Panel Discussion)
Associate Professor Aileen Collier, Professor Ann Dadich, Dr Suyin Hor, Ms Nicola Gearon, Ms Lucie Hogger, Associate Professor Lillian Hung, Dr Joanne Hilder, Associate Professor Mary Wyer
>> Abstract
Given ageing populations, worldwide, the importance of scholarship about and with older people and their carers has never been more important. As such, this panel discussion draws on international studies that have involved VRE with older people and their carers, demonstrating a case for VRE. Examples include studies conducted in Australia, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand. These studies will serve to demonstrate:
- How VRE can be used to amplify the voices and perspectives of older people and their carers
- How power and participation shape VRE
- How ethical and operational matters can be managed
- The relational complexities of VRE with older people and their carers
- How VRE can be used to promote equity
1530 – 1600 Canberra
0630 – 0700 London
0030 – 0100 Rochester
🍹 Informal chat break ☕️
This 30-minute session is a casual, friendly space to chat, share ideas, or just say hello to fellow attendees. Bring your beverage of choice!
1600 – 1730 Canberra
0700 – 0830 London
0100 – 0230 Rochester
Analysing emotion in interprofessional practice: Lessons for video-reflexive ethnographers
Associate Professor Rebecca Olson, Associate Professor Alberto Bellocchi
>> Abstract
From February 2017 to December 2018, we conducted a study using video-reflexive ethnography (VRE) within one Queensland-based radiation oncology department. Data collection included interviews with patients and clinicians, shadowing of clinicians and administrative staff, ethnographic observation of 12 case conferences (video recording 9), one reflexive focus group and reflexive interviews with 4 clinicians. A key aim of the study was to explore the feasibility of this method for studying emotions and interprofessional practice.
In this presentation, we reflect on our experiences of conducting and analysing data for this project, along with our experiences in co-authoring manuscripts on the methodology, and on our interpretations of the findings related to epistemic cognition and emotion in interprofessional practice. More specifically, we will draw out implications for VRE practitioners in our presentation, foregrounding challenges and affordances in:
1) Responding to and adhering to hospital-based ethics requirements;
2) Balancing and responding to traditional (i.e., contribution to knowledge) and collaborative (i.e., reflexive practice improvement) impact goals;
3) Analysing attunement and intensity by comparatively measuring the Hertz of video- and audio-recorded case conferences; and
4) Pairing VRE with ethnomethodological transcription.
Using in situ simulation and video-reflexive methods to drive protocol development in a biocontainment centre
Associate Professor Mary Wyer, Dr Patricia Ferguson, Dr Suyin Hor, Dr Matthew O’Sullivan, Ms Jaisa Kuriakose, Dr Jaimie Henry, Professor Lyn Gilbert
>> Abstract
The NSW Biocontainment Centre (NBC) in Sydney is the state-wide facility dedicated to the care of adult and paediatric patients with high-consequence infectious diseases (HCID), such as Ebola virus, Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome, and mpox. Since the commencement of the Centre’s operations, in situ simulation and video-reflexive methods have been employed to drive protocol development, ensure optimal infection prevention and biocontainment, and enhance practitioner reflexivity. This paper presents data and findings from several projects aimed at developing protocols for: donning and doffing HCID personal protective equipment; waste management; medical imaging; blood sample preparation; care of deceased persons; and healthcare worker collapse. Initially researcher-driven, with relevant stakeholders as co-researchers, the use of these methods has been incorporated into the NBC’s quality improvement framework.
The future of video reflexive ethnography: Innovations, challenges, and opportunities (Facilitated Discussion)
Professor Ann Dadich
>> Abstract
Video reflexive ethnography (VRE) has established itself as a powerful methodology for understanding and improving complex practices in various fields, particularly healthcare. As we look to the future, VRE presents numerous opportunities for innovation and growth, alongside significant challenges to address to realise its potential. This session will bring together video reflexive ethnographers to discuss current emerging innovations, challenges, and opportunities. Specifically, a fireside chat will be facilitated to discuss questions that might include, but are not limited to:
- What advice would you give to new researchers who are interested in using VRE in their studies?
- What are some of the most exciting innovations in VRE that you have encountered recently?
- What are the biggest challenges you face when conducting VRE, and how do you address them?
- What are some of the key issues within healthcare that VRE could or should help to address and what might this involve?
- How do you see VRE being applied in fields outside of healthcare, to address current and emerging social issues?
- Technological Integration: How do you envision the role of emerging technologies, like AI and VR, in the future of VRE?
- What are the key considerations when applying VRE in different cultural contexts, and how can researchers ensure their methods are culturally sensitive?
- What is the most important lesson you have learned from your work with VRE?
1730 – 1800 Canberra
0830 – 0900 London
0230 – 0300 Rochester
🍹 Informal chat break ☕️
This 30-minute session is a casual, friendly space to chat, share ideas, or just say hello to fellow attendees. Bring your beverage of choice!
1800 – 1930 Canberra
0900 – 1030 London
0300 – 0430 Rochester
Plenary and Q&A
Professor Rick Iedema
Bio: Rick Iedema retired from his position as Professor and Director at the Centre for Team-Based Practice and Learning (Kings College London) in 2021. This concluded three decades of researching, writing about and teaching on the social and discursive practices prevailing in formal organisations, and particularly health organisations. Before Kings, he had appointments at, among others, Monash University and the University of New South Wales in Australia. His latest book, Affected, appeared in 2022. He now lives in Broulee where he practises ocean swimming, mountain bike riding, and making music.
Formal close of conference
Conference organising committee
videoreflexiveethnography.com 