Start-up of the qualitative research in Benin

A team of social scientists from ITM, along with two locally hired researchers, began the first phase of data collection in Cotonou, Benin on March 4th, 2024. Using an ethnographic approach, the researchers immersed themselves in the CNHU-HKM to familiarise themselves with the setting and the people where the simplified blood culture system under investigation is embedded. This ethnographic approach allowed the researchers to observe the place and the individuals they were studying on a daily basis, establish a mutual understanding with local health professionals, and minimise social desirability bias in interviews. Subsequently, the researchers identified relevant study participants and conducted in-depth interviews with them in safe and confidential locations at a time preferred by the participants.

Throughout six weeks of fieldwork, the researchers were able to identify socio-ecological factors influencing blood culture diagnostics in general, as well as contextual factors, such as the perceptions and practices of health professionals and local health system factors related to the uptake of the simplified blood culture system under investigation. During the fieldwork, ITM and local researchers worked together on collecting data and continuously analysing data to identify emerging themes. The fieldwork also included training for the junior researchers from Burkina Faso on the application of the ethnographic approach and thematic analysis.

Qualitative data collection at CNHU-HKM is planned until mid-April 2024. Similar work on qualitative data collection is scheduled for CHU-YO in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso in the third week of April, and in Boko hospital, Benin at the start of May.