Qualitative Global Health Research Methods in Action: Combatting Health Misinformation in Vietnam

Written by Dr Stephen Roberts

It has been a pleasure working as the qualitative research methods technical lead with Dr Yuxi Zhang (UCL-Global Business School for Health) and the Health Strategy and Policy Institute (HSPI) Vietnam on our recently launched project ‘Understanding Misinformation and Disinformation and Their Impacts on Non-Communicable Disease Health Services in Vietnam’ funded by UKRI-Research England’s International Science Partnership Fund.

During two weeks in Hanoi while working with an incredible team, I have led on the methodological and methods design of this project, including the introduction of World Café as a participatory method in Vietnamese health systems research contexts. 

A huge thanks given to our friends and partners at HSPI for their infinite wisdom, skill, and support in engaging 31 policymakers, physicians, healthcare workers and academics and members of the National Assembly of Vietnam, as well as 19 non-communicable disease (NCD) patients over two days of dynamic and engaging workshops in which we explored the offline experiences and understandings of health mis and disinformation with key stake holders in Vietnam.

In addition to our workshop delivery, I also designed and delivered three contextually tailored health research methods and methodology training sessions for all HSPI staff in Hanoi. These sessions included participatory research methods for global health in practice, managing multi-site qualitative research projects, and analysing and handling large-scale qualitative data.

These capacity-building training sessions are vital as part of our longer-term shared vision with HSPI to scaffold and extend access to research methods training with partners in Vietnam, with the view to establishing a centre of excellence for research methods in global health and health systems research in the ASEAN region.

As this first of kind research progresses, all my thanks to our team and friends, Dr Yuxi Zhang (UCL-GBSH), Dr Nguyen Khanh Phuong (HSPI) and Dr Hoang Thi My Hahn (HSPI) for all our work together to co-create better evidence while including communities, practitioners and patients as key stakeholders to combat the impacts of health-related mis and disinformation and promote health equity in Vietnam.

As part of our continued partnership between the Institute for Global Health, the Global Business School for Health and HSPI-Vietnam, we will be holding a dissemination workshop in early July.

 Much more from our team soon!

Read more about our project on LinkedIn.