Lessons in reflexivity of a pharmacist conducting ethnographic research

Abstract

The practice of reflexivity is widely recognized in ethnographic research as a strategy to identify and explore a researcher's self-knowledge, beliefs, experiences, and their influence on research. In this article, I explore my journey from a practising pharmacist to a researcher within an ethnographic informed study pertaining to patients with chronic diseases and their medication intake behaviour. Ethnography allowed me to explore the lived experiences of ten participants using a smart medication adherence product. Through in-depth at home observations, photo-elicitation and semi-structured interviews over a period of 6 months, I was able to gather the invisible meanings associated with their in-home medication intake process. Extensive field notes were written after each home visit in addition to a reflexive journal documenting my inner thoughts, questions and reflections. A key finding of this activity was the intersectionality of my profession with race and gender, something I had not anticipated. Secondly, my social location as a woman and person of color resulted in questions being asked of me that was unexpected and at times left me feeling uncertain and uncomfortable. I entered this study believing that the boundary I erected between my roles of pharmacist and researcher would ensure clarity, and perhaps a sense of protection to some degree. I now realize this may have been naive and by relinquishing control of these roles, I was able to gain a deeper understanding of myself, my role as a clinician/researcher, and the older adults I serve as a pharmacist. Being reflexive during the study period offered me an opportunity to first identify and then analyze my beliefs and how they may impact the information I gathered during fieldwork. The practice of reflexivity is a critical tool for clinician-researchers and should be practiced throughout the course of fieldwork.

Keywords: Chronic illness; Ethnography; Lived experience; Medication adherence; Pharmacist; Reflexivity.