8 - The Future of Rapid Ethnographies

Summary

Even though rapid methods are not new, two recent reviews on the use of rapid qualitative methods in healthcare have shown a recent increase in their popularity (Johnson and Vindrola-Padros 2017; Vindrola-Padros and Vindrola-Padros 2018). One of the main findings of both reviews, however, was the prevalence of gaps in the reporting of the study design and process of implementation. The authors called for the development of guidelines or a reporting framework to ensure rapid research has a robust design and is reported in detail in publications. One of the topics of Chapter 8 is future plans to develop these standards. The chapter also explores recent developments in methodological innovation that have resulted in new ‘spin-offs’ of rapid ethnographies and a proposal for the development of training programmes on the topic. The chapter ends with an agenda for the future development of the field of rapid ethnography.