Reflections on the BRC Qualitative Social and Behavioural Science Network’s deep-dive workshop

The Biomedical Research Centres (BRCs) Qualitative Social and Behavioural Science Network held a deep-dive workshop in 2024. In the workshop they discussed recent developments in qualitative social and behaviour science research related to their work in England’s NIHR BRCs.

Hosted by Bristol BRC, the BRC Qualitative Social and Behavioural Science Network provides a space for members to share research progress, ideas and methods, and develop solutions to research puzzles. The Network does this through facilitating creative discussion spaces that are co-operative and reciprocal.

Network members were pleased to welcome colleagues from the Health Research Authority (HRA) and NIHR to the workshop, which addressed four substantial topics:

• To reflect on research ethics processes we discussed how qualitative research is taken through governance procedures and how decisions are made about proportionate review approaches. We were grateful to the HRA for their input and welcomed their words of encouragement for qualitative researchers to engage with opportunities to apply to be members of research ethics committees.
• In a discussion about patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE) we considered ethics of care, understandings of research, language used, and the growth of co-creation approaches in health research. We discussed the boundaries of PPIE in relation to ethical governance, and implications for co-creation and co-design methods.
• To explore use of AI we talked about how AI capabilities were being increasingly used to facilitate analysis of qualitative research materials. The Network explored how this could be achieved technically with responsible use of AI and data security in mind. We discussed disclosure of AI analysis to research participants and transparency in data usage and model training. We also discussed the suitability of AI for a range of analytic approaches such as deductive mapping.
• Finally, we learned about the NIHR outcomes framework. Developed with stakeholder input, the framework provided a set of indicators for research. The Network considered how qualitative forms of research fitted into – and addressed – the framework.

We will continue to develop content based on our discussions to share here with the wider research community and beyond.