JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Narrative collections are increasingly used in health research and medical practice. However there is limited research concerning the decision making processes in curating narrative collections, and of the strategies curators employ as they build and publish collections.

Objective:

The objectives of this study were to develop a typology of curatorial decisions involved in curating narrative collections presenting lived experiences of mental health service use, recovery or madness, and to characterise existing practices used in relation to each identified curatorial decision.

Methods:

A preliminary typology was developed by synthesising and refining the results from a systematic review through iterative consultation with an experienced curator of recovery narratives. The preliminary typology was used as the basis for semi structured interviews conducted with a maximum variation sample of 30 curators from 7 different countries of narrative collections of the lived experiences of mental health service use, recovery or madness. Thematic analysis was conducted by a multidisciplinary team.

Results:

The final typology identified six curatorial decision-making themes, giving the acronym VOICES: Values and motivations, Organisation, Inclusion and exclusion, Control and collaboration, Ethics and legal, Safety and wellbeing. Strategies relating to each decision-making theme were identified.

Conclusions:

The VOICES typology identifies certain key decisions to consider when curating narrative collections. The VOICES typology could be used as a decision aid tool for this increasingly popular process and will advance the field. It might also help open up additional arenas for enquiry and debate over the curation of mental health recovery narratives that have not been captured here. Future research could use the VOICES typology as a theoretical basis for a good practice resource, to support curators in their efforts to balance the challenges and sometimes conflicting imperatives involved in collecting, organising and sharing narratives.