Method for Using Voicemail and Email for Qualitative Data Collection Among Nurses

Background: Memorializing nurses’ experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic had the potential to allow scientists and policymakers to learn about the impact on the nursing profession and health care systems. Yet, nurses are considered a difficult population to recruit for research. Objective: To describe an innovative qualitative data collection method for capturing current practice experiences among nurses working during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Guerilla theory served as the theoretical framework. Utilizing a qualitative descriptive design, a telephone voicemail messaging system was developed to capture nurses’ experiences. Results: Nurses were recruited with convenience and snowball sampling via social media and state listservs. The telephone voicemail messaging system, Twilio, was used. After listening to the recording of the consent form, the participants shared their experiences by leaving a voice message where they answered the prompt, “Tell us about your experiences working during the COVID-19 pandemic.” Seventy voicemails were included, and the voicemails were transcribed. After a nurse shared their experience via an email sent to the research team, emails were added to the data collection; 16 emails were received. Transcripts and emails were uploaded to the qualitative data analysis software program, Dedoose, and coded by 2 researchers using content analysis. Main themes were derived and discussed among the research team. Conclusion: Allowing participants multiple modes of expressing their experiences promote inclusivity in data collection. Further development and standardization of this method is needed for future research.