[Opportunities and Challenges Of The Ethics Review Of Qualitative Health Services Research: A Survey Of Qualitative Researchers]. / Chancen und Herausforderungen der Ethikbegutachtung qualitativer Versorgungsforschung ­ eine Befragung qualitativ Forschender.

Ethics committees ensure compliance with ethical principles in medical research. They are oriented towards clinical studies, but also review e. g., qualitative research. Using a semi-structured online survey, we collected data on experiences of qualitative researchers with the review by ethics committees and analysed them via content analysis. In July 2019, 73 researchers took part in the survey. Five main topics were derived from their statements regarding the ethics review of qualitative research: 1. relevance of qualitative research expertise; 2. cooperation between researchers and ethics committees; 3. transparency of review criteria; 4. dealing with formal review requirements; 5. evaluation of the review's significance for qualitative research. The results show the potential of ethics review for reflection on ethical questions in qualitative research. Prerequisites for this are the fit with the characteristics and quality criteria of qualitative research, the presence of qualitative research expertise in ethics committees, the transparency of the ethics review process as well as openness to different professional cultures and a constructive communication culture.

["This is Not at All Foreseeable from the Outset" - Research Ethics in Qualitative Health Services Research: A Survey of Researchers]. / "Das ist vorher gar nicht absehbar"? ­ Forschungsethische Fragen in der qualitativen Versorgungsforschung. Eine Befragungsstudie mit Forschenden.

BACKGROUND: Health services research is multidisciplinary and involves the use of a plurality of research methods. Medicine as a discipline serves as an important reference, also in terms of addressing ethics issues in research. At the same time, however, the highly formalized ethical reviews common in medicine, are controversial within the social sciences, especially among qualitative researchers. So far, little is known about which research ethics issues arise in qualitative health services research. METHODS: In summer 2019, an online survey was conducted among health services researchers on two main topics: a) research ethics issues in qualitative health services research and b) experiences with the ethics review procedures. The questionnaire contained ten open questions; the responses were analyzed for content. The first topic (ethical issues) is addressed within this article. RESULTS: A total of 73 researchers with heterogeneous professional background and an average of more than seven years of work experience in health services research participated in the survey. The following were reported as central research ethics issues: a) legitimacy and anticipation of ethical challenges in the planning of research, b) field access, consent and burdens during data collection, c) anonymization and data protection in data processing, d) data analysis, e) publication of results and data and f) general topics such as central principles and goals of research as well as the role of researchers. The main formats for dealing with these issues were exchange and consultation as well as referring to texts and regulations. CONCLUSIONS: On the one hand, the data documents typical central research ethics questions that researchers are confronted with in the context of qualitative health services research; on the other hand, they also point to gaps and less considered topics. A systematizing ethical reflection could take up these findings in order to develop health services research-specific principles and strategies for handling research ethics issues.

[Specific Contribution of Psychosocial Cancer Counselling Centers - Perspectives of the Person Seeking Advice and the Referring Professional]. / Zum spezifischen Versorgungsbeitrag psychosozialer Krebsberatungsstellen ­ Sichtweisen der Ratsuchenden und Zuweisenden.

AIM: The aim of the study is to look at the specific contribution of outpatient cancer counselling centers (OCCC) from the perspective of both the person seeking advice and the referring health care professionals. METHODS: Qualitative design by means of guideline-based face-to-face interviews with cancer patients/relatives and individual telephone interviews with referring health care professionals. RESULTS: A total of 43 persons seeking advice and 30 referring health care professionals were interviewed. With regard to the contents of counselling, psycho-oncological support and help for self-help in combination with social-legal information about additional support services are perceived as central features. In the group of referring physicians, however, there seems to be some uncertainty about what OCCCs (can) provide. CONCLUSION: On the one hand, the results point to a specific core of the services offered by OCCCs, and on the other hand to ambiguous perceptions on the part of the respondents. They may contribute to further sharpening the profile of OCCC and to clarifying their place in the health care system.

[The Qualitative Interview and the Necessary Attitude of Openness]. / Das qualitative Interview und die notwendige Haltung der Offenheit.

The article takes a look at the qualitative interviews frequently used in the rehabilitation sciences and their practical implementation. An essential aspect of conducting an interview - in addition to characteristics of processuality and communication - is the attitude of openness. This comprises several aspects in the qualitative research process, which are specifically mentioned here. This begins with a methodological openness in the selection and application of suitable methods for the research object to be investigated. The attitude of openness continues in the research process when possible adjustments in the approach become necessary, which can and should then also be the subject of methodological reflection. Openness thus refers to the entire research process and its unforeseen events and progressions. However, an attitude of openness also and especially means an open-mindedness towards the interviewees as well as towards the interview situation and its framework conditions. Last but not least, this requires openness towards oneself in the sense of a reflection of one's own self-evidence in order to (re-)structure interviews as little as possible.

[Group Discussions in Health Services Research - Part 2: Reflections on The Concept of Group, Moderation and Analysis of Group Discussions as well as Online Group Discussion]. / Gruppendiskussionen in der Versorgungsforschung ­ Teil 2: Überlegungen zum Begriff der Gruppe, zur Moderation und Auswertung von Gruppendiskussionen sowie zur Methode der Online-Gruppendiskussion.

This article is the second of 2 articles on group discussions in health services research, written by the Qualitative Methods Working Group of the German Network for Health Care Research (DNVF). It starts with theoretical considerations on the concept of groups, and provides specific knowledge about groups in general and the behaviour of individual group members in particular, which is relevant for the design and interpretation of interaction processes in the group context. The following sections deal with the processuality of group discussions, moderation styles and techniques as well as reflections on possible subjects and methods of analysis. Presentation of results and text passages which unveil the interaction structure of several discussion participants are also discussed here. Finally, insights into the special features, potentials and challenges of group discussions via online platforms are provided. Together, the two articles provide an overview of the most important aspects of the application of group discussions in the field of health services research.

[Group Discussions in Health Services Research - Part 1: Introduction and Deliberations on Selection of Method and Planning]. / Gruppendiskussionen in der Versorgungsforschung ­ Teil 1: Einführung und Überlegungen zur Methodenwahl und Planung.

Health services researchers focus on the players, structures and impact of health care in "real life". They investigate how social aspects, financing, organizational structures, technologies and personal attitudes affect the process and outcomes of health care. Qualitative research methods are used here, which address how people act according to their unique living conditions (outside the context of experimental studies). Different methods of debriefing groups are essential for qualitative health services research. In 2 subsequent articles, we aim to outline the diverse facets and possible range of implementation of the above-mentioned methods, in order to highlight the potential of debriefing groups in health services research (focus groups or group discussions) using these methods. In the current article, we would like to encourage researchers to reflect on relevant topics such as the selection of an appropriate method, the planning and undertaking of investigations including sampling methods, and questions regarding ethics and privacy. A follow-up article (in preparation) will deal with theoretical considerations of the term "group", as well as with the process of moderating discussions, methods of analyzing data and (qualitative) online research.