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Childhood
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Research With Hospitalized Children

Ethical, methodological and organizational challenges

Imelda Coyne

Trinity College Dublin, coynei{at}tcd.ie

Eilis Hayes

Dublin City University

Pamela Gallagher

Dublin City University

Respecting children’s rights to be heard in matters that directly affect their everyday lives has become an established principle in Ireland and internationally. Accessing children’s voices raises a number of important issues for researchers across a wide range of disciplines. This article reflects on the organizational, practical and ethical challenges that arose from a study that investigated hospitalized children’s experiences of consultation and decision-making. The data collection process was hampered by practical and organizational factors, which consequently led to carrying out more individual interviews than focus groups as planned. Some obstacles associated with the hospital environment were practical issues that could be resolved, in contrast to ethical issues such as consent, privacy, access and the role of gatekeepers. The function of gatekeepers generally and in the healthcare setting in relation to accessing children needs to be debated and challenged because children may be silenced and excluded from the opportunity to have their voices heard.

Key Words: access • children • ethics • focus groups • hospitalized • qualitative research

Childhood, Vol. 16, No. 3, 413-429 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/0907568209335319
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