METHODOLOGICAL ISSUES CONDUCTING SENSITIVE RESEARCH ON LESBIAN AND GAY MENS EXPERIENCE OF NURSING-CARE

This paper is a methodological discussion on a qualitative research pr oject which involved interviewing lesbians and gay men about their exp eriences of nursing care, The research project arose primarily because most of the knowledge available on the subject was based on hearsay a nd anecdote. It is worthy of note that those who felt there was an iss ue to be addressed, as well as the bearers of anecdote, were by and la rge what would be termed 'insiders' in ethnographic research, and zeal ots with an axe to grind in less academic circles, It is the nature of this 'insider' status which is of interest throughout the research pr ocess of what was and remains a sensitive research topic. 'Insider' st atus can reduce many of the problems associated with conducting sensit ive research in terms of access, rapport with subjects, ethical concer ns, and stigma contagion, but by the same token lays researchers open to the charge of bias thought to be inherent in going native, or rathe r in this case being native. However, there are some problems associat ed with 'insider' status as well and this paper offers a discussion of the methodological problems we have encountered in relation to this, as well as more general methodological issues when conducting research considered to be sensitive, Ethical dilemmas also arose during the re search when lesbian and gay patients who were currently receiving hosp ital care contacted the researchers directly because they felt threate ned by nursing and medical staff. The paper is an attempt to describe some fairly conscious strategies to use the research team's 'insider' status for methodological reasons and to explain the ethical position we took when we felt compromised.