Researching Inequalities and Experiences in A&E
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Ethnographic study exploring how socioeconomic deprivation affects patients’ experiences in emergency departments
IRAS ID
356598
Contact name
Joanna Sutton-Klein
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Sheffield
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
327221/Z/25/Z, Wellcome Trust; 69872, Central portfolio management system
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 11 months, 30 days
Research summary
It is well established that socioeconomic deprivation is associated with poorer health. It is known that people from more socioeconomically deprived backgrounds are much more likely to attend A&E.
Epidemiological studies have demonstrated that people from more socioeconomically deprived backgrounds are likely to wait longer in A&E, and there is evidence that patients from marginalised ethnicities wait longer in A&E and receive worse treatment. However, little is known how and why socioeconomic deprivation and other forms of social marginalisation impact patients once they arrive in A&E.
In this study I will undertake ethnographic research over the course of one year in a single A&E, where I hope to generate understandings about what happens in A&E in respect to inequalities and intersectional experiences.
To investigate this I will undertake twelve months of ethnographic fieldwork in a single A&E. I will deploy several ethnographic methods in the course of my fieldwork including observation, informal conversations and formal interviews. I will also review clinical and administrative documentation, policy documents and other written and visual communication in the A&E. I will collect the data in in the form of fieldnotes and audio recordings.
I will spend time observing and talking with staff and adult patients and their relatives, with a view to understanding a broad range of different perspectives and experiences of A&E. I will also spend time in a variety of contexts within the A&E such as patient-clinician encounters, waiting rooms and staff meetings. I will invite some participants for more in-depth follow-up interviews outside of A&E.
I will analyse my data using thematic analysis, with reference to the wider body of academic research into health inequalities.REC name
London - Bloomsbury Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
25/LO/0822
Date of REC Opinion
8 Dec 2025
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion