Ethnography of User Involvement: Navigating a Blurred Research Position.

Abstract

This article explores the methodological dilemmas that arise when conducting ethnography of user involvement in mental healthcare settings. Public health systems commonly integrate the experiences and insights of service users to enhance service quality and "empower" participants. In health research, there is a growing interest in coproducing research with participants, leading to an expanding body of literature on collaborative research methodologies. However, little attention has been given to how the concept of user involvement changes standards and expectations for how we conduct ethnographic research. Drawing on two Danish studies on user involvement initiatives, we demonstrate how the increased political and organizational focus on user involvement both encourages and contests a blurred research position that cuts across well-established participant categories such as "service user" and "service provider." This blurred position intensifies dilemmas related to the researcher's positionality, personal biography, emotional reflexivity, and representation of knowledge. By critically engaging with our fieldwork experiences, we identify methodological dilemmas that may inspire researchers in the field of qualitative health research.