Combining Critical Ethnography and Critical Discourse Analysis in Mental Health Nursing Research.

BACKGROUND: It is uncommon to combine critical ethnography with critical discourse analysis (CDA) in health research, yet this combination has promise for managing challenges inherent in critical mental health nursing research. OBJECTIVES: This article describes a methodologically innovative way to address issues that arise in the context of critical mental health nursing research. METHODS: This article draws on two studies that each employed a combination of critical ethnography and CDA in the context of mental health nursing research, discussing the challenges and implications of this approach. RESULTS: Although the combination critical ethnography and CDA presents several challenges, it also provides a framework for researchers to sustain a critically reflective stance throughout the research process. This facilitates the process of reanalyzing and reflecting on how healthcare practices and knowledge both support and are constrained by hegemonic discourses. DISCUSSION: This combination has the potential to facilitate the production of new, emancipatory knowledge that will assist nurses in understanding issues of structural inequity within the healthcare system.

Pragmatic patchwork ethnography, a call to action for health, nutrition and dietetic researchers.

Qualitative research methods are increasingly used in nutrition and dietetics research. Ethnography is an underexploited approach which seeks to explore the diversity of people and cultures in a given setting, providing a better understanding of the influences that determine their choices and behaviours. It is argued that traditional ethnography, that is, the methodology of living within participant communities, is a dated practice, with roots in colonialism, accessible to only researchers with the means, connections and status to conduct such research, typically white, privileged males. This paper proposes a formal interpretation of 'patchwork ethnography', whereby research is carried out in situ around existing modern-day commitments of the researcher, thus enabling more researchers within health, nutrition and dietetic practice to benefit from the rich data that can be discovered from communities. This review proposes the concept that pragmatic patchwork ethnography is required, proposing a framework for implementation, providing researchers, particularly within the fields of human nutrition, dietetics and health, the accessibility and means to deploy a meaningful client-centric methodology. We present pragmatic patchwork ethnography as a modern method for use within multiple healthcare settings, thus adding a progressive brick in the wall of qualitative research.

Critical ethnography and its others: Entanglement of matter/meaning/madness.

Beginning with a critical examination of the humanist assumptions of critical ethnography, this article interrogates and surfaces problems with the ontological and epistemological orientations of this research methodology. In drawing on exemplar empirical data from an arts-based project, the article demonstrates the limitations in the humanist-based qualitative research approach and advances a postdualist, postrepresentationalist direction for critical ethnography called entangled ethnography. Using data from a larger study that examined the perspectives of racialized mad artists, what is demonstrated in this inquiry is that the entanglement of bodies, objects, and meaning-making practices is central to working with the ontologically excluded, such as those who find themselves in various states of disembodiment and/or corporeal and psychic distribution. We propose the redevelopment of critical ethnography, extended by entanglement theory (a critical posthuman theory), and suggest that for it to be an inclusive methodology, critical ethnography must be conceptualized as in the process of becoming and always in regeneration, open to critique, extension, and redevelopment.

Key Informants in Applied Qualitative Health Research.

Identifying and recruiting key informants is a widely used sampling strategy in applied qualitative health research. Key informants were first conceptualized within ethnography, but there is little methodological guidance about how to use this technique outside of that research tradition. The objective of this article is to offer practical suggestions about how existing methods for data collection with key informants could be translated to methodologies commonly used in applied qualitative health research. This article delineates how key informants could be conceptualized and sampled and how data sufficiency can be approached. The article prompts deeper consideration of the politics of representation and epistemic power that are inherent to the use of key informants in applied qualitative health research.

"A becoming in the meeting": the interpretations of competence in home care from the perspectives of older people and registered nurses - a meta-ethnography.

AIM: The aim of this meta-ethnography was to identify and synthesize qualitative studies focusing on older people's and registered nurses' interpretations of competence in home care. METHODS: The meta-ethnography followed the six phases developed by Noblit and Hare (1988). RESULTS: In Phase 6, the translation process of the included studies, three themes were identified: i) temporality-the feeling of being of value; ii) dignity-a person, not just a patient; and iii) mutuality of being-togetherness. A synthesis was developed, and the phrase "a becoming in the meeting" emerged. CONCLUSION: The sense of becoming includes progress, which means becoming something other than before in relation with others and refers to what constitutes the meeting between the older person and the registered nurse working in home care. Competence originates from becoming in the meeting, and registered nurses should therefore value what they do and hold on to this aspect of caring competence that centres on a caring relationship. It is important for registered nurses working in home care to be able to cultivate a caring relationship.

Defining focused ethnography: Disciplinary boundary-work and the imagined divisions between 'focused' and 'traditional' ethnography in health research - A critical review.

This article offers the first critical review of focused ethnography, an increasingly popular research method across health disciplines. Focused ethnographers, we argue, exemplify the practice of methodological boundary work, defining their method in contrast to the 'traditional' ethnographic approach of anthropology and sociology. To examine this boundary work, we collected two samples of health research articles published over the last decade and compared how focused ethnographers and medical anthropologists described, justified, and practised ethnography. We found that the core characteristics most often asserted to differentiate focused ethnography from conventional ethnography were: a more limited study timeframe and scope; a limited subpopulation sample; more concentrated research questions; the inclusion of insider researchers; and more orientation towards applied results. We show, however, that these are imagined binaries that fail to map onto actual differences of practice in the two samples and which obscure many similarities between them. By contrast, we identified four alternative differences between the two methods of ethnography. These centre on understandings of 'research time'; the very meaning of ethnography; the relationship of researchers to 'data'; and the presumed best method of social intervention. We therefore define focused ethnography as a versatile method of ethnography that attends to specific epistemological expectations within the health sciences regarding valid proof and empirical description, the boundaries of research, the nature of research relationships, and the duty to improve biomedicine. Ultimately, our study highlights that methodological boundary-work matters, because assumed differences and unexpressed misunderstandings can prevent productive dialogue and fruitful collaboration between disciplines to address pressing health problems.

Expanding the ethnographic toolkit: Using medical documents to include kinless older adults living with dementia in qualitative research.

Ethnographic research with cognitively impaired older adults can be challenging, in part because cognitive impairment raises questions about the ability to provide informed consent. Relying on proxy consent is a commonly used strategy, but often excludes people with dementia who lack close kin (de Medeiros, Girling, & Berlinger, 2022). In this paper, we describe how we have analyzed existing research data from a well-established and ongoing prospective cohort study, the Adult Changes in Thought Study, along with unstructured text from the medical records of participants who had no living spouse or adult children when they developed dementia, as a way of studying the circumstances, life trajectories, caregiving resources, and care needs of this vulnerable and difficult-to-research group. In this article, we detail this methodology, exploring what can and cannot be gleaned from it, what the ethical implications may be, and how and whether this type of research can be considered ethnographic. In conclusion, we argue that collaborative interdisciplinary research using existing, longitudinal research data and text from medical records deserves to be considered as a potentially useful addition to the ethnographic toolkit. We anticipate that this is a methodology that could be applied more broadly, and paired with more traditional ethnographic methods, might be one way to make research with this population more inclusive.

Diagramas complejos de salud en el trabajo: metodología para el estudio sistémico de los procesos laborales / Complex diagrams of health in the workplace: A methodology for the systemic study of work processes

El estudio de los procesos de trabajo es una tarea «compleja¼ que incluye el conocimiento exhaustivo y preciso de los riesgos y exigencia laborales ahí presentes. Dichos riesgos y exigencias son el resultado de cómo se relacionan los elementos fundamentales del proceso laboral que, al interactuar con el hombre que trabaja, pueden afectar su salud. La finalidad de estas líneas es mostrar una metodología de carácter etnográfico, para investigar los procesos de trabajo en las entidades productivas y plantear las acciones preventivas conducentes. Esta metodología está basada en la observación directa y en la experiencia obrera de los procesos laborales. Consta de tres instrumentos de recolección de información: 1) Diagramas de Flujo del Proceso de trabajo; 2) Descripción de los Diagramas de Flujo de los Procesos de Trabajo; y 3) Cuadros de Resumen de los Diagramas Complejos de Salud en el Trabajo. A partir de los datos que proporcionan los Cuadros de Resumen, se estructura un repertorio de recomendaciones para el centro laboral. En cuanto a la utilidad de esta metodología, ha sido ampliamente probada en diversos sectores económicos, como: agricultura, industrias extractivas, de la transformación y la construcción, así como de los servicios, ya sean micro, pequeñas, medianas o grandes empresas. En síntesis, es una herramienta que proporciona el conocimiento integral de los procesos de trabajo, de los riesgos y exigencias que de ahí se derivan, y suministra las medidas preventivas para eliminar o controlar los peligros que acechan a los trabajadores en sus labores(AU)

The study of work processes is a complex task that includes exhaustive and precise knowledge of the labor demands and risks in a given workplace. These risks and demands result from the relationship among the fundamental elements of the work process, whose interaction with a worker can affect his health. The purpose of this study is to show how an ethnographic methodology was used to investigate work processes in productive industry workplaces and propose appropriate preventive actions. The methodology is based on direct observation and workers' experience of work processes. It consists of three data collection instruments: 1) Work process flow charts; 2) description of the flow diagrams of the work processes; and 3) summary tables of complex diagrams of workplace health. Based on the data provided in the summary tables, a set of recommendations for the workplace was designed. This methodology has been widely tested in various economic sectors, such as agriculture; extractive, transformative, and construction industries; and services, whether in micro, small, medium, or large companies. In summary, this is a tool that provides integrated knowledge about work processes and the risks and demands inherent in them and provides preventive measures to eliminate or control dangers to workers(AU)

Introducing SAMMSA, a Five-Step Method for Producing 'Quality' Qualitative Analysis.

Qualitative health research is ever growing in sophistication and complexity. While much has been written about many components (e.g. sampling and methods) of qualitative design, qualitative analysis remains an area still needing advanced reflection. Qualitative analysis often is the most daunting and intimidating component of the qualitative research endeavor for both teachers and learners alike. Working collaboratively with research trainees, our team has developed SAMMSA (Summary & Analysis coding, Micro themes, Meso themes, Syntheses, and Analysis), a 5-step analytic process committed to both clarity of process and rich 'quality' qualitative analysis. With roots in hermeneutics and ethnography, SAMMSA is attentive to data holism and guards against the data fragmentation common in some versions of thematic analysis. This article walks the reader through SAMMSA's 5 steps using research data from a variety of studies to demonstrate our process. We have used SAMMSA with multiple qualitative methodologies. We invite readers to tailor SAMMSA to their own work and let us know about their processes and results.

Listening to the patients' voice: a conceptual framework of the walking experience.

BACKGROUND: walking is crucial for an active and healthy ageing, but the perspectives of individuals living with walking impairment are still poorly understood. OBJECTIVES: to identify and synthesise evidence describing walking as experienced by adults living with mobility-impairing health conditions and to propose an empirical conceptual framework of walking experience. METHODS: we performed a systematic review and meta-ethnography of qualitative evidence, searching seven electronic databases for records that explored personal experiences of walking in individuals living with conditions of diverse aetiology. Conditions included Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, hip fracture, heart failure, frailty and sarcopenia. Data were extracted, critically appraised using the NICE quality checklist and synthesised using standardised best practices. RESULTS: from 2,552 unique records, 117 were eligible. Walking experience was similar across conditions and described by seven themes: (i) becoming aware of the personal walking experience, (ii) the walking experience as a link between individuals' activities and sense of self, (iii) the physical walking experience, (iv) the mental and emotional walking experience, (v) the social walking experience, (vi) the context of the walking experience and (vii) behavioural and attitudinal adaptations resulting from the walking experience. We propose a novel conceptual framework that visually represents the walking experience, informed by the interplay between these themes. CONCLUSION: a multi-faceted and dynamic experience of walking was common across health conditions. Our conceptual framework of the walking experience provides a novel theoretical structure for patient-centred clinical practice, research and public health.

Tipping the balance: A systematic review and meta-ethnography to unfold the complexity of surgical antimicrobial prescribing behavior in hospital settings.

Surgical specialties account for a high proportion of antimicrobial use in hospitals, and misuse has been widely reported resulting in unnecessary patient harm and antimicrobial resistance. We aimed to synthesize qualitative studies on surgical antimicrobial prescribing behavior, in hospital settings, to explain how and why contextual factors act and interact to influence practice. Stakeholder engagement was integrated throughout to ensure consideration of varying interpretive repertoires and that the findings were clinically meaningful. The meta-ethnography followed the seven phases outlined by Noblit and Hare. Eight databases were systematically searched without date restrictions. Supplementary searches were performed including forwards and backwards citation chasing and contacting first authors of included papers to highlight further work. Following screening, 14 papers were included in the meta-ethnography. Repeated reading of this work enabled identification of 48 concepts and subsequently eight overarching concepts: hierarchy; fear drives action; deprioritized; convention trumps evidence; complex judgments; discontinuity of care; team dynamics; and practice environment. The overarching concepts interacted to varying degrees but there was no consensus among stakeholders regarding an order of importance. Further abstraction of the overarching concepts led to the development of a conceptual model and a line-of-argument synthesis, which posits that social and structural mediators influence individual complex antimicrobial judgements and currently skew practice towards increased and unnecessary antimicrobial use. Crucially, our model provides insights into how we might 'tip the balance' towards more evidence-based antimicrobial use. Currently, healthcare workers deploy antimicrobials across the surgical pathway as a safety net to allay fears, reduce uncertainty and risk, and to mitigate against personal blame. Our synthesis indicates that prescribing is unlikely to change until the social and structural mediators driving practice are addressed. Furthermore, it suggests that research specifically exploring the context for effective and sustainable quality improvement stewardship initiatives in surgery is now urgent.

Embedding cultural studies in public health higher education: the role of medical anthropologists.

Medical Anthropology is a body of knowledge with universal application. It bridges the gap between socio-cultural elements and public-health challenges; as a result, many medical anthropologists have raised the importance of culture in health matters. While public health pedagogy revolves around the 'Germ Theory' and the biomedical explanations of disease and illnesses; it is also very important to put the bio-sociocultural phenomena of health into consideration through an in-depth understanding of the social-cultural dimensions of health, healthcare and health-management. This is because ethnographic conceptions and the understanding of diseases, illnesses and wellbeing are germane to the success of public health. Embedding medical anthropological epistemology and research methods in public health higher education in Nigeria will contribute to the advancement of medical training through the use of ethnographic epistemology and methods, whereby vivid case studies of the social-cultural dimensions of public health issues would be subjected to critical discourse in the classroom. Utilizing ethnographic epistemological and methodological research cum pedagogical approaches in public health higher education will yield considerable success.

We go farther together: practical steps towards conducting a collaborative autoethnographic study.

ABSTRACT: Autoethnography is an underused qualitative research method in implementation science. Autoethnography can be used to reflect on and archive personal experiences, which can yield useful information to advance our knowledge. In particular, collaborative autoethnography is an important method towards providing greater insights on the experiences of multidisciplinary teams conducting research amidst complexity and intersectionality. In conducting a collaborative autoethnography, all authors are participants who narrate, analyze and theorize about their individual and or collective experiences. This article provides an overview of collaborative autoethnography for health research teams and implementation scientists embarking on autoethnographic studies.

Individual, healthcare professional and system-level barriers and facilitators to initiation and adherence to injectable therapies for type 2 diabetes: A systematic review and meta-ethnography.

AIMS: To review and synthesise the contemporary qualitative evidence, relating to the individual, healthcare professional and system-level barriers and facilitators to injectable therapies in people with type 2 diabetes, and evaluate (using an intersectional approach to explore the diverse perspectives of different identities) whether views have changed with treatment and guideline advancements. METHODS: A meta-ethnography approach used. Eight databases searched from the years 2006 (GLP-1 analogues introduced) to February 2021. Study selection (using a pre-defined inclusion criteria), quality appraisal and data extraction, conducted independently by two reviewers. RESULTS: Screened 7143 abstracts, assessed 93 full-text papers for eligibility and included 42 studies-using data from 818 individuals with type 2 diabetes and 160 healthcare professionals. Studies covered a diverse range of views from healthcare professionals and individuals, including those relating to older adults and people from ethnic migrant backgrounds, and 10 studies rated moderate to strong research value. Key themes abstracted: barriers (physical/psychological/social) and facilitators (motivation/capability/opportunity). CONCLUSIONS: The first synthesis of contemporary qualitative data to adopt an intersectionality approach and explore diverse views relating to barriers and facilitators that influence engagement with injectable treatments for type 2 diabetes. A model is presented to help patients, health practitioners and policy makers identify barriers and facilitators and understand the complex interplay of physical, psychological and social factors involved when prescribing injectable therapies. Despite advances in injectable treatments and guidelines, findings highlight the many barriers that still exist and show how strongly held culturally-specific health beliefs of people from diverse socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds can become substantial obstacles to treatment.

Ethnography and medicine: the utility of positivist methods in research.

This commentary discusses the methodological utility of ethnography within the medical space. Whilst a general consensus affirms that ethnography aligns with qualitative approaches, as identified within the existing medical literature, here, we demonstrate how quantitative [positivist] methods can also be incorporated. This paper begins by contextualising ethnographic approaches within medical contexts by demonstrating its empirical value within the existing literature. Next, we discuss the interconnection between the practice of 'doctoring' and ethnographic research, whereby doctors themselves use forms of inductive and deductive reasoning to treat and manage patients in their everyday context. This philosophical discussion not only links to the everyday practice of medical practitioners, but also critically reflects on the role of the first author, as a diagnostic radiographer. Lastly, this paper identifies the virtues of ethnographic research for medical students and/or medical doctors whereby the combination of qualitative and quantitative methods (within an ethnographic methodology) can lead to new empirical and methodological insights, enabling the creation of alternate research strategies and evidence. This methodological strategy may be best considered amongst medical students and/or early career medical researchers, but we also anticipate it to resonate and open further discussion with experienced medical practitioners and researchers transnationally.

Autoetnografia colaborativa em tempos de pandemia: uma experiência de ensinoaprendizagem terapêutica e decolonial / Autoetnografía colaborativa en tiempos de pandemia: una experiencia de enseñanza-aprendizaje terapéutica y decolonial / Collaborative autoethnography in pandemic times: a therapeutic and decolonial teachinglearning experience

Esta Autoetnografia colaborativa teve como objetivo compreender a experiência de três estudantes em disciplina de Autoetnografia no programa de pós-graduação na Faculdade de Farmácia da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais durante o período inicial da pandemia de Covid-19. Para tal, os diários de campo e as produções autoetnográficas dos estudantes - textos, poemas, fotografias, arquivos em áudio e arquivos em vídeo com performances ou dança - foram analisados. Destacaram-se os diversos aspectos terapêuticos e decoloniais que a Autoetnografia oportuniza pelo exercício metacognitivo. A disciplina humanizou o ambiente acadêmico proporcionando interconexão das ciências convencionais com as artes e a cultura. Este trabalho aponta os benefícios da Autoetnografia para a formação de profissionais de saúde críticos e reflexivos, especialmente os farmacêuticos, por promover competências apropriadas ao cuidado centrado na pessoa. (AU)

Esta autoetnografía tuvo el objetivo de comprender la experiencia de tres estudiantes de la asignatura de Autoetnografía en el programa de postgrado en la Facultad de Farmacia de la Universidad Federal de Minas Gerais durante el período inicial de la pandemia de Covid-19. Para ello, se analizaron los diarios de campo y las producciones autoetnográficas de los estudiantes: textos, poemas, fotografías, archivos de audio y archivos de video con performances o danza. Se destacaron los diversos aspectos terapéuticos y decoloniales a los que la Autoetnografía da oportunidad a partir del ejercicio metacognitivo. La asignatura humanizó el ambiente académico, proporcionando interconexión de las ciencias convencionales con las artes y la cultura. Este trabajo señala los beneficios de la Autoetnografía para la formación de profesionales de salud críticos y reflexivos, especialmente los farmacéuticos, por promover competencias apropiadas al cuidado centrado en la persona. (AU)

This collaborative autoethnography aimed to understand the experience of three students in an Autoethnography course in a graduate program at the Minas Gerais Federal University School of Pharmacy during the initial stages of the Covid-19 pandemic. To this end, the students' field journals and autoethnographic data - such as texts, poems, photographs, audio and video files with performances or dance - were analysed. The study highlighted multiple therapeutic and decolonial facets of autoethnography that arise from its metacognitive practice. This course humanized the academic environment, providing interconnectivity of conventional sciences with arts and culture. This research points out the benefits of including autoethnography in the training of health professionals as its critical and reflective features promote cultural and humanistic competences useful to person-centered care, which are very relevant to pharmacists. (AU)

Significados do alcoolismo em uma reunião feminina de Alcoólicos Anônimos na cidade de São Paulo, SP, Brasil / Meanings of alcoholism in a women-only Alcoholics Anonymous in São Paulo, SP, Brazil / Significados del alcoholismo en una reunión femenina de Alcohólicos Anónimos en la ciudad de São Paulo, SP, Brasil

O objetivo deste artigo é compreender os significados do alcoolismo de uma maneira êmica, isto é, tal como ele é concebido e vivenciado por mulheres que frequentam uma reunião feminina de Alcoólicos Anônimos (AA). Realizou-se uma pesquisa qualitativa, de abordagem etnográfica, em uma reunião exclusiva de mulheres em um grupo localizado na cidade de São Paulo, Brasil. O alcoolismo está ligado às assimetrias de gênero, que estabelecem uma diferença entre homens e mulheres em relação ao uso de bebidas alcoólicas, de modo que a reunião feminina de AA possui uma dimensão política que se contrapõe à cultura patriarcal de AA ao garantir às mulheres um espaço de gênero, moral e politicamente, privilegiado para que elas possam compartilhar e significar suas experiências e, por essa via, realizar seu tratamento do alcoolismo.(AU)

The aim of this emic study of alcoholism was to understand how this problem is conceived and experienced by women attending a women-only Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meeting. We conducted an ethnographic study with a women's AA group in São Paulo, Brazil. Alcoholism is linked to gender asymmetries, which establish a difference between men and women in relation to drinking. Women-only AA meetings therefore possess a political dimension that counterposes AA's patriarchal culture by providing women with a morally and politically unique gendered space that allows them to share and signify their experiences and, in this way, treat their alcoholism.(AU)

El objetivo de este artículo es comprender los significados del alcoholismo de una manera émica, es decir, tal como es concebido y vivido por mujeres que frecuentan una reunión femenina de Alcohólicos Anónimos (AA). Se realizó una investigación cualitativa, de abordaje etnográfico, en una reunión exclusiva de mujeres en un grupo localizado en la Ciudad de São Paulo, Brasil. El alcoholismo está vinculado a las asimetrías de género que establecen una diferencia entre hombres y mujeres con relación al uso de bebidas alcohólicas, de modo que la reunión femenina de AA tiene una dimensión política que se contrapone a la cultura patriarcal de AA al asegurar a las mujeres un espacio de género, moral y políticamente privilegiado para que ellas puedan compartir y significar sus experiencias y, por esa vía, realizar su tratamiento del alcoholismo.(AU)

La autoetnografía como estrategia de formación y autoconocimiento con estudiantes de trabajo social / Autoethnography as a training and self-knowledge strategy with social work students

Este artículo tiene por objetivo mostrar la utilidad didáctica de una herramienta de investiga-ción cualitativa, como es el relato autoetnográfico, en el proceso de formación y autoconoci-miento de futuros profesionales del Trabajo social. Para ello, se tomará como marco una expe-riencia docente que utiliza la autoetnografía como estrategia formativa en el aula. El análisis de dicha experiencia y de los propios relatos de los alumnos/as permitirá descubrir su valor como estrategia de autoconocimiento, así como la emergencia de algunos aprendizajes espe-cialmente relevantes surgidos del encuentro entre la reflexión personal y el aprendizaje aca-démico, como son: el saber que aporta la experiencia vivida como usuario/a del sistema de atención en salud; el que se genera a través del tránsito por los dispositivos sanitarios y sus formas de organización actual; el surgido del encuentro con la propia vulnerabilidad; y la expe-riencia corporeizada de ciertos fenómenos asociados a los procesos de sa-lud/enfermedad/atención. (AU)

The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the educational use of a qualitative research tool like autoethnographic stories in the process of training and building of self-awareness of future social work professionals. Our framework of analysis will be a teaching experiment of the au-thor in which autoethnography was used as training strategy in the classroom. Analyzing the students’ stories will allow us to discover the value of autoethnography as a strategy to raise self-awareness. Also, we show how some especially relevant learning comes out of the encoun-ter of personal reflection and academic training, namely: the knowledge stemmingfrom one’s own experience as a user of the health care system; the one from a person’s passing through healthcare institutions and the way they are presently organized; the one that emerging from the coming face to face with one’s own vulnerability; and the corporealized experience of cer-tain phenomena associated with health/disease/care processes. (AU)

In search of the last malaria cases: ethnographic methods for community and private-sector engagement in malaria elimination in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.

BACKGROUND: Despite significant strides made in reducing malaria morbidity and mortality in the Greater Mekong Subregion, malaria transmission continues amongst the most 'hard-to-reach', such as forest-goers and mobile and migrant populations, who face access obstacles to malaria diagnosis and treatment. As such, regional malaria elimination strategies endeavour to incorporate the private sector and local communities in improving surveillance and detection of the last malaria cases in remote forested areas. The question remains, however, whether such strategies can reach these hard-to-reach populations and effectively reduce their disproportionate burden of malaria. This paper evaluates the strategy of community and private sector engagement in a malaria elimination project in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. METHODS: Ethnographic research, incorporating in-depth interviews, participant observations with informal discussions, and group discussions were conducted in Bu Gia Map commune, Binh Phuc province of Vietnam; in Phouvong district, Attapeu province of Laos; and, in nine newly established and informal communities in the provinces of Mondul Kiri, Steung Treng, Kratie, Kampong Thom, and Prah Vihear of Cambodia. RESULTS: Different types of factors limited or enhanced the effectiveness of the participatory approaches in the different settings. In Vietnam, inter-ethnic tensions and sensitivity around forest-work negatively affected local population's health-seeking behaviour and consequent uptake of malaria testing and treatment. In Laos, the location of the project collaborative pharmacies in the district-centre were a mismatch for reaching hard-to-reach populations in remote villages. In Cambodia, the strategy of recruiting community malaria-workers, elected by the community members, did manage to reach the remote forested areas where people visited or stayed. CONCLUSIONS: 'Hard-to-reach' populations remain hard to reach without proper research identifying the socio-economic-political environment and the key dynamics determining uptake in involved communities and populations. Solid implementation research with a strong ethnographic component is required to tailor malaria elimination strategies to local contexts.

The uses and abuses of tree thinking in cultural evolution.

Modern phylogenetic methods are increasingly being used to address questions about macro-level patterns in cultural evolution. These methods can illuminate the unobservable histories of cultural traits and identify the evolutionary drivers of trait change over time, but their application is not without pitfalls. Here, we outline the current scope of research in cultural tree thinking, highlighting a toolkit of best practices to navigate and avoid the pitfalls and 'abuses' associated with their application. We emphasize two principles that support the appropriate application of phylogenetic methodologies in cross-cultural research: researchers should (1) draw on multiple lines of evidence when deciding if and which types of phylogenetic methods and models are suitable for their cross-cultural data, and (2) carefully consider how different cultural traits might have different evolutionary histories across space and time. When used appropriately phylogenetic methods can provide powerful insights into the processes of evolutionary change that have shaped the broad patterns of human history. This article is part of the theme issue 'Foundations of cultural evolution'.