Email interviewing: generating data with a vulnerable population

AIMS: This paper describes online recruitment and the email interviewing data collection method with women diagnosed with a viral sexually transmitted infection. The paper highlights the advantages of the method to researchers and participants when conducting research where face-to-face participation may difficult. BACKGROUND: Online recruitment and in-depth email interviewing have been used by only a small number of nurses internationally. The method enables inclusion of people who might otherwise be excluded from research, for reasons such as geographical distance, incompatible time frames, clinicians''gate-keeping' and participants' desire for anonymity for physical or emotional reasons. METHODS: In-depth email interviews were conducted with 26 women in New Zealand, United States of America, Canada and England who had a diagnosis of either human papilloma virus or genital herpes simplex virus. Data were collected during 2007-2008 and analysed using a poststructuralist, feminist thematic analysis. RESULTS: Participant retention was high. Women emphasized satisfaction with the process. Asynchronous interviews allowed for additional reflexivity in the researcher's responses and rich data generation. CONCLUSION: This method has the potential to enable nurses to include vulnerable and relatively inaccessible participants in 'sensitive' research. In-depth email interviews may generate rich data through a process participants deem to be of personal value.