A reflexive analysis of ‘context’ in privacy research: Two case studies in HIV care

• Qualitative methods for researching technology and privacy in healthcare.
• Reflexive exploration of ‘context’.
• Analysing research practices as privacy practices.
• The role of gatekeepers and gatekeeping in creating context.
• Managing different identities while doing fieldwork in different times and places.

Privacy is a much discussed and politically charged topic in contemporary healthcare. Yet, studying the actual privacy practices of healthcare professionals and patients remains extremely challenging. In this paper we reflect on our experiences using qualitative methods in two projects on HIV care, the first researching internet use by a particular group of patients, and the second looking at issues of information technology integration in hospitals. Our aim in doing so is to highlight some of the opportunities and challenges involved in including an explicit focus on ‘context’ in qualitative privacy research in healthcare. We suggest that adopting a more reflexive approach to the way methods are used in relation to ‘context’ in privacy-related HCI research provides opportunities for understanding how different ‘privacy contexts’ are enacted in and through our research practices in different environments.