Doing ‘reciprocity work’: The role of fieldworkers in a mass drug administration trial in the Gambia

Alexandra Fehr; Claudia Nieto-Sanchez; Joan Muela; Ebrima Manneh; Dullo Baldeh; Omar Ceesay; Umberto D’Alessandro; Edgard Dabira; Patricia Kingori; Koen Peeters Grietens; Azucena Bardají; Joske Bunders-Aelen; Teun Zuiderent-Jerak

doi:10.1080/17441692.2022.2125998

Doing ‘reciprocity work’: The role of fieldworkers in a mass drug administration trial in the Gambia

Alexandra Fehr^*, Claudia Nieto-Sanchez, Joan Muela, Ebrima Manneh, Dullo Baldeh, Omar Ceesay, Umberto D’Alessandro, Edgard Dabira, Patricia Kingori, Koen Peeters Grietens, Azucena Bardají, Joske Bunders-Aelen, Teun Zuiderent-Jerak

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

Abstract

In their roles as nurses, data collectors, or other, fieldworkers undertake myriad tasks working intimately with and on the bodies of others–a type of work called ‘body work’. This work further includes the micro-political relations shaping these interactions, and studies have shown the importance of these relationships in the success of clinical trials, particularly in the Gambia. This study seeks to expand the concept of body work to understand the roles and interactions of fieldworkers within the trial community, and the effect on a mass drug administration (MDA) clinical trial. We conducted a mixed-methods social science study alongside the MDA in 2018–2019, including in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, and semi-structured observations with the population involved (and not) in the MDA, as well as the MRC fieldworkers. We found that fieldworkers participated in what we call ‘reciprocity work’. Through their regular tasks and interactions, they necessarily showed respect and established trust in a way that formed and contributed to reciprocal relationships, the results of which impacted the trial and individuals’ autonomy in the decision-making process. Understanding the role of fieldworkers and their reciprocity work is a vital component in comprehending how research ethics are made and conducted in global health research.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	1-13
Number of pages	13
Journal	Global public health
Volume	17
Issue number	12
Early online date	2 Oct 2022
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1080/17441692.2022.2125998
Publication status	Published - 2 Dec 2022

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Funding

This study was part of the MASSIV trial, which is funded through DFID/NIHR/MRC/Wellcome Trust global health trials scheme and is registered under NCT number NCT03576313. The funding body was not involved in any aspects of the study. The authors would first like to acknowledge all those who participated in the study. The people in the trial villages warmly welcomed us into their communities and homes and made this study possible, and the fieldworkers graciously allowed us into their lives. Further, the authors would like to thank the broader MASSIV and MRC the Gambia staff who coordinated and conducted the MASSIV trial and greatly supported this study.

Funders	Funder number
Medical Research Council	NCT03576313
National Institute for Health and Care Research
Department for International Development, UK Government

Keywords

Fieldworkers
malaria
mass drug administration
research ethics
the Gambia

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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Fehr, A., Nieto-Sanchez, C., Muela, J., Manneh, E., Baldeh, D., Ceesay, O., D’Alessandro, U., Dabira, E., Kingori, P., Peeters Grietens, K., Bardají, A., Bunders-Aelen, J., & Zuiderent-Jerak, T. (2022). Doing ‘reciprocity work’: The role of fieldworkers in a mass drug administration trial in the Gambia. Global public health, 17(12), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1080/17441692.2022.2125998

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abstract = "In their roles as nurses, data collectors, or other, fieldworkers undertake myriad tasks working intimately with and on the bodies of others–a type of work called {\textquoteleft}body work{\textquoteright}. This work further includes the micro-political relations shaping these interactions, and studies have shown the importance of these relationships in the success of clinical trials, particularly in the Gambia. This study seeks to expand the concept of body work to understand the roles and interactions of fieldworkers within the trial community, and the effect on a mass drug administration (MDA) clinical trial. We conducted a mixed-methods social science study alongside the MDA in 2018–2019, including in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, and semi-structured observations with the population involved (and not) in the MDA, as well as the MRC fieldworkers. We found that fieldworkers participated in what we call {\textquoteleft}reciprocity work{\textquoteright}. Through their regular tasks and interactions, they necessarily showed respect and established trust in a way that formed and contributed to reciprocal relationships, the results of which impacted the trial and individuals{\textquoteright} autonomy in the decision-making process. Understanding the role of fieldworkers and their reciprocity work is a vital component in comprehending how research ethics are made and conducted in global health research.",

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Fehr, A, Nieto-Sanchez, C, Muela, J, Manneh, E, Baldeh, D, Ceesay, O, D’Alessandro, U, Dabira, E, Kingori, P, Peeters Grietens, K, Bardají, A, Bunders-Aelen, J & Zuiderent-Jerak, T 2022, 'Doing ‘reciprocity work’: The role of fieldworkers in a mass drug administration trial in the Gambia', Global public health, vol. 17, no. 12, pp. 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1080/17441692.2022.2125998

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AU - Fehr, Alexandra

AU - Nieto-Sanchez, Claudia

AU - Muela, Joan

AU - Manneh, Ebrima

AU - Baldeh, Dullo

AU - Ceesay, Omar

AU - D’Alessandro, Umberto

AU - Dabira, Edgard

AU - Kingori, Patricia

AU - Peeters Grietens, Koen

AU - Bardají, Azucena

AU - Bunders-Aelen, Joske

AU - Zuiderent-Jerak, Teun

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Doing ‘reciprocity work’: The role of fieldworkers in a mass drug administration trial in the Gambia

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Funding

Keywords

UN SDGs

Access to Document

Persistent URL (handle)

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