Adapting rapid ethnographic research in an evolving emergency: Generalizable lessons in resilience

Abstract

To ensure the real-world utility of emergency ethnographic research, plans must evolve as circumstances shift. The CommuniVax coalition's work provides a case study of this scenario. Using rapid ethnographic interviews, focus groups, and other methods, the six local CommuniVax teams sought to comprehend and improve COVID-19 vaccine access and uptake. To this end, they responded nimbly to varying community priorities, the pandemic's shifting nature, evolving bureaucratic mechanisms, and political fluctuations. This paper provides specific examples of such instances, highlighting some of the critical decision points that emerged, demonstrating the flexibility needed for effective rapid community-based research, reiterating the importance of a bottom-up orientation, and elaborating on the trade-offs that occurred in decision-making regarding how best to move forward. This discussion is relevant to tackling any narrowly defined research problem, emergency-related or not, as well as research seeking actionable answers to specific questions that have practical bearing on human lives.