A Reflexivity Lab as a methodological tool in end-of-life research

Abstract

Background:

Reflexivity is essential in end-of-life research due to its ethical sensitivity, emotional intensity, and relational complexity, yet it is often left to individual initiative and remains weakly institutionalized in palliative care research settings.

Objective:

To describe the design, implementation, and initial outputs of a Reflexivity Lab developed as a structured, collective reflexive method embedded within a palliative care research service.

Methods:

A Reflexivity Lab was implemented in 2023 within the palliative and supportive care service of the Lausanne University Hospital, in Switzerland. The Lab convenes monthly and brings together clinical and non-clinical researchers engaged in end-of-life fieldwork to reflect collectively on methodological, ethical, and emotional challenges encountered during research.

Results:

The Lab supported the identification of recurrent reflexive issues and the development of focused collective reflexivity leading to scholarly outputs. An illustrative example on practices of “saying goodbye” to participants at imminent end of life demonstrates how emotionally charged research moments can be transformed into explicit objects of methodological inquiry.

Conclusion:

Embedding a Reflexivity Lab within palliative care research infrastructures offers a practical, transferable approach to institutionalizing reflexivity as an ongoing methodological practice.