Lived Experience Research Articles

"I Am Not Alone": A Photovoice Exploration of Diabetes Self-Management for Older Persons in Rural Ontario, Canada.

To explore diabetes self-management for older adults in rural Ontario. Fourteen adults, 65 and older, with diabetes, participated in this study using a participatory, art-based approach involving photovoice and semi-structured interviews. Data underwent hermeneutic phenomenology analysis. Four themes emerged, elucidating the lived experiences of participants managing diabetes in a rural context. This study underscores the challenges and strategies of diabetes self-management in rural older adults. A holistic approach, encompassing physical, emotional, and mental well-being, is pivotal, augmented by proactive lifestyle choices. Effective coordination in medication management and enhanced communication among health care providers emerged as essential. The unique role of pets illuminates their profound impact on participants' activity levels and emotional fortitude, suggesting they can be vital assets in diabetes care. Collectively, these findings guide health professionals and policymakers in crafting nuanced, context-sensitive interventions to optimize diabetes management for older adults in rural contexts.

Lived experiences of life with newly diagnosed advanced cancer – a qualitative interview study

ABSTRACT Background Incurable cancer significantly affects an individual’s life, requiering comprehensive palliative care (PC). With early PC now recommended but poorly integrated, it is essential to address patients’ experiences and concerns to ensure successful early PC integration. Aim: This study aims to investigate the experiences of life in the initial period following a diagnosis of incurable cancer to inform early PC integration. Methodology The study employed a phenomenological hermeneutical framework, drawing inspiration from interpretive descriptive methodology. Thirteen participants diagnosed with incurable cancer were purposively recruited. Data were generated through semi-structured, in-depth interviews exploring patients’ experiences of lived life, their needs and wishes. Data analysis followed an iterative process of constant comparison and thematic development. Results One main theme was identified throughout the analysis: Standing still in the storm. Three sub-themes were identified reflecting varying manifestations innhow doing so, and navigating their challenging circumstances. peace: 1) The urge to take action, 2) Clarity and awakening in the face of reality, and 3) Changed self-perception. As their understanding of their illness deepened, the patients experienced a shift towards reconciliation. Conclusion The experiences of patients living with incurable cancer reveal a complex interplay of psychological, emotional, and existential responses. It is essential that healthcare professionals address existential concerns within clinical care. By acknowledging and supporting patients’ existential struggles, discussions about sensitive topics becomes more natural and better recieved by the patients. .

Implementing psychosocial interventions for teachers' mental health: Protocol for integrating scoping review with teachers lived experiences in LMICs.

Teachers are pivotal in shaping educational environments and student development but face significant occupational stress and high rates of mental problems. Despite the availability of various psychosocial interventions, comprehensive evidence of their effectiveness and implementation is limited for this occupational group, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This mixed methods study aims to conduct a scoping review of characteristics, effectiveness, and implementation outcomes of psychosocial interventions for teachers' mental health and mental problems, integrating these with teachers' lived experiences to inform the implementation of mental health interventions in LMICs. The study combines a scoping review with insights from an advisory group of teaching professionals with relevant lived experiences (PWLEs). The review will focus on examining psychosocial interventions studies promoting mental health or addressing mental problems among grade 1-12 school teachers of all genders, ages and contexts, except those working in specialized settings, such as special education centers, or disaster- or crisis-stricken zones. Intervention studies exclusively focusing on physical health or job-related outcomes will be excluded. Using pre-defined search terms, quantitative and qualitative research studies, including unpublished literature, will be searched across multiple databases. Titles and abstracts of identified studies will be screened against inclusion criteria, and the potentially relevant sources will be retrieved in full. Data will be extracted using a data extraction sheet developed for the study covering variables related to participant characteristics, intervention characteristics, study context, effectiveness and implementation outcomes. A purposively selected sample of 10 PWLEs will form the study advisory group and participate in four online workshop-group discussions. The meetings will include a presentation of the scoping review findings, followed by discussions on the relevance of these intervention packages for LMICs, adaptations needed to make them acceptable among school teachers and feasible for delivery in low-resourced settings like India. The synthesis of the data will employ narrative and thematic approaches to generate actionable insights for implementing psychosocial interventions in LMICs. This study will provide comprehensive evidence on the characteristics and outcomes of psychosocial interventions for teachers' mental health and mental problems. By integrating insights from teachers with relevant lived experiences, the study will provide practical guidelines for adapting and implementing psychosocial interventions among school teachers in LMICs. Review registration number: Open Science Framework, doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/GF59J.

Mentoring as a management practice to retain newly certified professionals in healthcare organisations

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate how mentors can convince young, certified, inexperienced employees to remain in a healthcare organisation, and how mentors address “stay or quit” when mentees’ lived experiences reveal feelings of insufficiency as crisis in their daily work. We explore how turnover is affected by the mentors’ and mentees’ discussions within the manager’s domain.Design/methodology/approachWithin the framework of crisis management, the study employs qualitative content analysis of 21 interview responses from mentors, mentees and managers. The analysis includes mentees’ answers, which are analysed in terms of “weak signals” based on lived experiences and mentors’ and managers’ answers in terms of different capabilities to increase mentees’ wish to remain in the organisation.FindingsThe results show that the deep relationship between the mentee and the mentor is crucial. It is possible for the mentor to detect weak signals from the mentee’s thoughts, doubts and lived experiences. The study extends the understanding of a more subtle mechanism the mentor uses in the close relation to the mentee, alongside the manager. The findings confirm those of previous research concerning improved job satisfaction and self-improvement in the profession.Practical implicationsThe findings explain why mentors, as necessary organisational resources, can contribute more successfully than managers to keeping young employees.Originality/valueThe study links the crucial relational mentorship to increased willingness to remain in an organisation among young mentees without career support.

Priority musculoskeletal health research questions for people with generalized joint hypermobility: an international Delphi study.

This study aimed to identify the top 10 international research priorities for musculoskeletal health of people with generalized joint hypermobility. A 3-round Delphi method utilizing an online survey was implemented. Three participant stakeholder groups were eligible for inclusion: (1) people with lived experience of joint hypermobility or their carers, (2) healthcare professionals, and (3) researchers with experience working with individuals with hypermobility. Participants provided up to 3 priority research questions in Round 1. In Round 2, participants prioritized 10 research questions from the unique questions proposed in Round 1. In Round 3, participants were presented with the top 10 questions from the overall cohort and for their stakeholder group/s, and asked to rank these in order of importance. Round 1 commenced with 396 participants who provided 958 individual questions, which reduced to 210 unique questions following data cleaning. There were 257 (65% of 396) participants in Round 2, and 249 (63% of 396, lived experience n=230, healthcare professionals=67, researchers=21) in Round 3. The overall top-ranked question was "How can we prevent disability, pain, and poor quality of life associated with the musculoskeletal co-morbidities of symptomatic generalized joint hypermobility?". Specific stakeholder group priority research questions varied. People with lived experience prioritized treatment questions, while healthcare professionals and researchers prioritized service-impact and utilization research questions. Priority research questions relating to musculoskeletal health of people with generalized joint hypermobility have been internationally identified. These questions provide a future focus for meaningful and necessary research in this field.

La fenomenología como método liberador en la filosofía intercultural desde y para América Latina

The article explores how phenomenology, particularly in the context of Latin America, can become a liberating tool by questioning colonial structures of thought and creating an intercultural dialogue that respects diverse worldviews. Latin America has historically been a site of oppression and marginalization, from colonialism to neoliberalism, and this legacy of subjugation has fueled a philosophy aimed not only at understanding but also at transforming this reality. Phenomenology, with its focus on lived experience and Husserl's phenomenological reduction (epoché), enables questioning Eurocentric frameworks and recovering marginalized forms of knowledge and life. From this perspective, the “lifeworld “ (Lebenswelt) is not singular but plural, adapting to the experiences and contexts of each culture. Authors such as Raúl Fornet-Betancourt and Enrique Dussel propose a phenomenology that confronts cultural colonialism and promotes an ethical and political recognition of the oppressed “Other “ (the indigenous person, the peasant, the marginalized woman) allowing for a dialogue where these peoples are neither assimilated nor instrumentalized. The intercultural philosophy emerging here does not seek a homogeneous universality but rather a plurality that preserves cultural identities and acknowledges their contributions. Phenomenology thus enables the construction of “conviviality “ or harmonious coexistence in a “pluriverse, “ where all worldviews and ways of life have a place. This approach not only challenges modernity and Eurocentrism but also proposes the need to build social and political relationships that go beyond individual interests, promoting an ethic of coexistence and complementarity. In sum, the proposed intercultural philosophy seeks to decolonize thought and position Latin America within a space of dialogue and resistance to the dominant world-system

Development and modelling study of an evidence-based manualised intervention: PErsonalised Treatment packages for Adults with Learning disabilities who display aggressive challenging behaviour in community settings (PETAL)

Background Aggressive challenging behaviour is prevalent in adults with an intellectual disability and is associated with over-medication, physical ill-health and psychiatric hospitalisation. We urgently need interventions that can moderate this behaviour and improve quality of life in this population. We report on the development and modelling of a 7-module tailored manualised psychological intervention to support adults who display aggressive challenging behaviour in community settings (hence referred to as the PETAL therapy). Method The PETAL therapy was designed following an extensive review of existing management provisions and was co-produced with carers with lived experience and self-advocates with an intellectual disability. A logic model was developed to illustrate the theoretical approach behind the development of the PETAL intervention. A single arm multi-site modelling study was conducted in England to test the delivery and acceptability of the PETAL intervention. Seventeen NHS healthcare professionals were trained during a two-day training programme and were regularly supervised to deliver the therapy in up to 14 weeks. Following completion, we conducted qualitative interviews with stakeholders and explored the intervention’s fidelity and acceptability. Results We held seven co-production meetings and developed the PETAL therapy, consisting of the following modules: Getting to know the person, understanding aggressive challenging behaviour, communication, emotions, a calm environment, carer wellbeing and healthy habits. We then recruited ten dyads or triads (person with a learning disability and 1–2 carers) to participate in a modelling study to test delivery aspects and measure fidelity. Nineteen stakeholders were interviewed, and the findings were analysed deductively using Normalisation Process Theory and its four domains: coherence, cognitive participation, collective action and reflexive monitoring. Conclusion The PETAL therapy was possible to deliver in community services with high fidelity and was acceptable. The PETAL manual and training programme have been reviewed and refined and a cluster randomised controlled trial is underway.

SPATIALIZING WOMEN'S EVERYDAY ACCESS TO ENERGY: AN INTRA‐URBAN COMPARISON OF THE GENDER–ENERGY NEXUS IN LAHORE, PAKISTAN

AbstractThe disparate distribution of energy and housing infrastructures in many megacities of the global South raises issues of equity and spatial justice, particularly for women. An intra‐urban comparison helps unpack the specific socio‐spatial characteristics of the gender–energy nexus, particularly in low‐income neighbourhoods that represent one form of peripheral urbanization. This article contributes to the limited literature on low‐income urban women's lived experiences and everyday energy practices. Using a mixed‐methods approach that combines 424 questionnaire surveys and 21 semi‐structured interviews with low‐income women across five case study sites in Lahore, it investigates women's energy access and use in domestic and open/public spaces, and workplaces. The study reveals significant infrastructural variations and gendered inequities within and across peripheries, and in their relation to urban cores. It demonstrates how women's peripheralized energy access is both spatially defined (e.g. in the heterogeneity of infrastructure available in peripheral neighbourhoods and in relation to their spatial proximity to urban cores) and socially contingent on their intersectional identities. The intra‐urban comparison reveals the complex gendered energy practices and women's subjective experiences of socio‐material exclusion, underscoring the importance of moving beyond simplistic private/public dichotomies and instead adopting an intersectional lens in spatializing the gender–energy nexus when studying urban peripheries.

Assessing visual quality of historical agricultural landscapes: a study of dovecotes in the Isfahan Plain

Understanding the visual evaluation of historical agricultural landscapes by various communities is essential for conserving landscapes and managing the growth of residential areas adjacent to these landscapes. This research assesses the quality of agricultural landscapes surrounding dovecotes in the Isfahan Plain of Iran. To this end, visual concepts introduced by Tveit et al. along with a normative indicator (pleasantness), were questioned. Three respondent groups, categorised based on their knowledge and life experience with dovecotes (experts, no-experience group, close-experience group), responded to a picture inquiry. Finally, the statistical results of the groups indicated that all the examined visual concepts were related to pleasantness and collectively formed the visual integrity of these agricultural landscapes. It was also found that in some evaluated concepts, people’s life experiences influence landscape assessment. This means that people with a deeper experience and background regarding historical agricultural landscapes will appreciate these landscapes more.

Designing the First Pregnancy Guaranteed Income Program in the United States: Qualitative Needs Assessment and Human-Centered Design to Develop the Abundant Birth Project.

Racial inequities in pregnancy outcomes persist despite investments in clinical, educational, and behavioral interventions, indicating that a new approach is needed to address the root causes of health disparities. Guaranteed income during pregnancy has the potential to narrow racial health inequities for birthing people and infants by alleviating financial stress. We describe community-driven formative research to design the first pregnancy-guaranteed income program in the United States-the Abundant Birth Project (ABP). Informed by birth equity and social determinants of health perspectives, ABP targets upstream structural factors to improve racial disparities in maternal and infant health. The research team included community researchers, community members with lived experience as Black or Pacific Islander pregnant, and parenting people in the San Francisco Bay Area. The team conducted needs assessment interviews and facilitated focus groups with participants using human-centered design methods. Needs assessment participants later served as co-designers of the ABP program and research, sharing their experiences with financial hardships and government benefits programs and providing recommendations on key program elements, including fund disbursement, eligibility, and amount. Housing affordability and the high cost of living in San Francisco emerged as significant sources of stress in pregnancy. Participants reported prohibitively low income eligibility thresholds and burdensome enrollment processes as challenges or barriers to existing social services. These insights guided the design of prototypes of ABP's program components, which were used in a design sprint to determine the final components. Based on this design process, the ABP program offered US $1000/month for 12 months to pregnant Black and Pacific Islander people, selected through a lottery called an abundance drawing. The formative design process maximized community input and shared decision-making to co-design a guaranteed income program for Black and Pacific Islander women and people. Our upstream approach and community research model can inform the development of public health and social service programs.

Within the classroom doors: Unveiling the lived experiences of general education teachers in handling learners with special educational needs

General education teachers are professionals equipped to teach learners in general education classrooms. However, due to the insufficient number of qualified special education teachers and the rising number of students with disabilities, these teachers are compelled to handle learners with special educational needs (LSENs). This study aimed to explore and understand the lived experiences of general education teachers in handling learners with special educational needs. The study employed qualitative method, particularly phenomenological design. The participants were purposively selected and interviewed through in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. Thematic analysis was employed to identify themes in the data. The results showed that teachers collectively experienced challenges in instructional skills, negative attitudes toward work, uncooperative parents, behavioral issues, and the responsibilities of handling learners with special educational needs. An analysis of participants' responses revealed that teachers overcame challenges by self-upskilling through internet resources, demonstrating adaptability, utilizing support systems, and maintaining strong faith in God. The participants shared insights on the belief that teaching is a noble profession and the necessity for special education training and seminars for non-special education teachers. The results suggest that teachers lacking sufficient knowledge, skills, and experience in handling learners with special educational needs may face various challenges affecting their emotional stability, spiritual well-being, and physical condition. Accordingly, the Department of Education should strengthen its frameworks to safeguard teachers from learners with alarming behavior and offer additional support that empowers teachers' commitment to quality inclusive education.

Transforming Care Through Co-Design: Developing Inclusive Caregiver-Centered Education in Healthcare

Background: Family caregivers provide most (75–90%) of the essential unpaid care and support for individuals living with chronic conditions, disabilities, and age-related needs in the community, with about half performing medical tasks traditionally performed by professionals. Caregivers also assist with 15 to 35% of the care in congregate care settings. Yet despite their critical contributions to patient care, caregivers face stress, declining well-being, and insufficient recognition in healthcare systems. Addressing these challenges requires innovative, person-centered approaches to training healthcare providers. Co-design or co-production are participatory research methods that involve individuals with lived experience to ensure relevance and impact. Objective: This study sought to understand how participatory co-design principles influenced learning, collaboration, and engagement among diverse participants in developing a caregiver-centered education program for healthcare providers. Actionable recommendations for optimizing co-design processes are provided. Methods: Eighty-five participants from a team of 155 collaborators, including caregivers, healthcare providers, educators, policymakers, and leaders, participated in ten focus group sessions conducted in Zoom breakout rooms. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using Thorne’s interpretive description and Braun and Clarke’s reflexive thematic analysis. Results: Participants described the co-design process as fostering collaboration, inclusivity, and skill enhancement. Exposure to diverse perspectives expanded transformative understanding and prompted reflection on caregiver support within professional practices. Skilled facilitation ensured equitable engagement. Challenges included information overload and personal time constraints. Participants liked using breakout rooms to mitigate the dynamics of large group management. Still, they recommended pre-meeting materials, flexible scheduling, and expanding stakeholder diversity (e.g., rural, Indigenous, and immigrant caregivers). Conclusions: Co-design fosters meaningful, caregiver-centered education through collaboration and inclusivity. Addressing logistical challenges and representation gaps can further enhance the impact of co-design and empower multi-level, interdisciplinary partners to inform equitable healthcare education.

The mediating role of mental health in the relationship between childhood experiences and social media use disorder among university students: a mixed-methods study

Abstract This mixed-methods study examines the impact of childhood trauma and family dynamics on mental health and the development of social media use disorder (SMUD) among university students. Through a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, this research offers a comprehensive investigation into how early life experiences influence social media addiction and the mediating role of mental health. The independent variable is childhood experiences, the dependent variable is social media use disorder, and mental health serves as the mediating variable. The study, conducted in 2024 with a sample of 330 university students, employs correlation analysis and mediation testing, with bootstrapping used to evaluate the significance of indirect effects. The results demonstrate that mental health issues, such as depression, anxiety, and stress, mediate the relationship between childhood experiences and social media use disorder. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) further reveals that adverse childhood experiences contribute to mental health challenges in adulthood, which in turn exacerbate social media addiction. Qualitative findings offer rich insights into how social media affects daily routines, family interactions, and psychological well-being, revealing its central role in the participants’ lives. Moreover, this study highlights how childhood experiences shape social media use patterns. These findings significantly advance the understanding of the complex interplay between early life trauma, mental health, and social media use, addressing critical gaps in the literature on digital addiction.

Comparing social stigma of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder: A quantitative experimental study

BackgroundCurrently, we know little regarding how stigma attributed to eating disorders compares to that of other psychological disorders and additionally within different types of eating disorders. In the current study, we aimed to explore the stigmatisation of eating disorders by comparing the stigma attributed to anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder, utilising depression as a comparative control.MethodsA total of 235 participants from the general population were randomly assigned to an anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge-eating disorder, or depression condition. Participants responded to a questionnaire consisting of several adapted versions of pre-existing subscales that measured levels of stigma associated with psychological disorders generally, as well as stigma associated with eating disorders specifically. We used several one-way analyses of variance to investigate the differences in stigma attributed towards the aforementioned psychological disorders.ResultsResults suggested that all three eating disorders were significantly more stigmatised than was depression. Between the eating disorders, the three were generally equivalent except that binge-eating disorder was significantly more stigmatised than both anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa on a subscale measuring trivialness.ConclusionsThese findings indicate that individuals with eating disorders, including binge-eating disorder, may be at a higher risk of experiencing the negative implications of stigma when compared to other psychological disorders, such as depression. To our knowledge, this study is one of few that directly quantify and compare stigma attributed towards anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder. Through further research, a better understanding around the expression of stigma towards specific eating disorders could inform the development of targeted interventions to help reduce the stigma associated with these disorders. This knowledge could also advance the understanding of the lived experience of individuals living with eating disorders, subsequently informing treatment practices.

AI-Supported Participatory Workshops: Middle-Out Engagement for Crisis Events

Considering the lived experience of communities is key when making decisions in complex scenarios, such as preparing for and responding to crisis events. The article reports on three participatory workshops, which assigned community representative roles to workshop participants. Using role-playing as a method, participants were given the task of collaborating on making a decision relating to a speculative crisis scenario. Across the workshops, we collected data about simulating a middle-out engagement approach and the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in enhancing collaboration, supporting decision-making, and representing non-human actors. The article makes three contributions to participatory planning and design in the context of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. First, it presents insights about the use of AI in enhancing collaboration and decision-making in crisis event situations. Second, it discusses approaches for bringing more-than-human considerations into participatory planning and design. Third, it reflects on the value of role-playing as a way to simulate a middle-out engagement process, whereby actors from the top and the bottom collaborate towards making informed decisions in complex scenarios. Drawing on the findings from the workshops, the article critically reflects on challenges and risks associated with using AI in participatory workshops and collaborative decision-making.

An Intersectional Perspective on Digital health: Longitudinal Narratives and Observations with Older and Middle-Aged Women Experiencing Homelessness.

People experiencing homelessness and older people experience barriers as health and social care services are increasingly delivered online, however, there is limited knowledge about how this relates to older and middle-aged women experiencing homelessness, especially those from minoritized and/or migrant communities. We aimed to explore how technology, including digital health, can help or hinder older and middle-aged women to navigate paths through and out of homelessness. This 16-month qualitative longitudinal study utilized narrative interviews and participant observations with seven older and two middle-aged women experiencing homelessness, in London, England. Additionally, we observed interactions between the women experiencing homelessness and two information and communications technology class facilitators. We collected and analyzed data using a narrative, interpretative approach. An advisory board of women with lived experiences of homelessness supported the interpretation of findings and development of practice and policy recommendations. We present our findings as three composite narrative vignettes co-constructed with the participants: (1) "No, I'm not taking this telephone appointment"; (2) "Technology doesn't judge you"; and (3) "You have to be a digital person now". The findings illuminate determinants of digital health equity related to aging, gender, and migration status among older and middle-aged women experiencing homelessness. Using an intersectional lens, we provide recommendations about how to better align digital health to the needs of older and middle-aged women experiencing homelessness. The findings will inform intervention development.

Understanding patient safety during earthquakes: a phenomenological study of disaster response

BackgroundNatural hazards, such as earthquakes, pose a significant risk to both the public and healthcare professionals, jeopardising patient safety due to the disruption of healthcare systems and services. This study...

Engaging in transnational ways of teaching and building a community of practice: Preservice teachers’ experiences in an online after‐school program

AbstractEmploying the concepts of transnational funds of knowledge and community practice, this ethnographic case study examines the experiences of preservice world language teachers in a year‐long teaching methods course. It focuses on an online after‐school program where preservice teachers taught languages and cultures to children from linguistically and culturally diverse backgrounds. The findings illustrate how a teacher candidate from a multilingual and immigrant background drew on her transnational lived experiences and encouraged students to think beyond the boundaries of languages, cultures, and countries. Findings also show how preservice teachers in the program learned from fellow teachers’ practices and built a shared repertoire of resources to engage in transnational ways of teaching language and culture. This study underscores the importance of providing clinical opportunities where preservice teachers can put theory into practice, incorporate transnational funds of knowledge that learners possess, and challenge linguistic, cultural, and geographic boundaries.

The impact of fathers' overseas employment on left‐behind children in Turkey: A phenomenological exploration

AbstractObjectiveThis study aimed to explore the lived experiences of Turkish children left behind (N = 16, age range 10–13 years) due to fathers' international work migration.BackgroundInternational labor migration is prevalent among fathers in the rural areas of Turkey, significantly impacting the lives of left‐behind children (LBC).MethodUsing a phenomenological qualitative approach, data were gathered through semistructured interviews and a focus group.ResultsThree primary themes and 10 subthemes emerged, including (a) risks associated with changes in the family system, such as parentification and neglect; (b) emotional and psychological reactions, such as grief and loss, feelings of alienation, concerns for the father's safety and well‐being, and envy of peers; and (c) coping strategies and resources employed by participants, encompassing both positive and negative coping mechanisms, social support, and the quality and continuity of their relationship with their father.ConclusionLBC experience the impact of changes in familial structure resulting from their father's work migration, potentially leading to specific adverse circumstances such as parentification and neglect. In addition to facing the negative psychological effects of paternal absence, some of these children can effectively cope with the situation.ImplicationsAddressing the potential risks of parentification, neglect, and psychological impacts at a structural level is crucial for promoting the well‐being and resilience of LBC in Turkey and other countries.

From attention to action: Advancing inclusivity in the landscape of anatomy education

Conversations about inclusivity in anatomy education are at a critical juncture. While the need for a more equitable discipline is widely recognised, significant challenges remain. As this project aimed to reimagine what a truly inclusive learning experience could like and how it might be best achieved, an inclusive approach to research methodology was essential to ensure robust and representative results. Due to the paucity in anatomical literature on this topic, the authors applied concepts from sociological research methodology and innovative methods of demographic data collection to their own discipline. The study utilised questionnaires and focus groups to collect diverse data on lived experiences of inclusivity and exclusion in anatomy education. A convenience sample gathered quantitative and qualitative data through questionnaires and semi-structured focus groups. Guided by inclusive research practices including participatory research, this study makes use of inductive reflexive thematic analysis with critical orientation to situate inclusivity in its social, historical and political contexts. This paper discusses how the authors incorporated these inclusive methods, explores the challenges this type of research generates, and acts as a framework for those wishing to conduct more inclusive research in their discipline. Application of these methods yielded richer and more nuanced data, thus increasing the validity of the study. Although anatomy education may not currently represent diverse populations, positive action towards change is underway, with many in the discipline eager to actively confront exclusion. The existing dataset is predominantly Eurocentric. As such, the next phase of this research will translate recruitment literature and questionnaires into other languages to collect more global perspectives. To encourage further anti-exclusion research, the data will be made widely accessible for analysis.