Health Experiences Research Group
The Health Experience Research Group (HERG) at Oxford University’s Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences are responsible for much of the research that appears on healthtalk.org.
HERG was set up to collect and analyse health experiences using rigorous qualitative research methods to ensure that the information provided was balanced and accurate.
The HERG method has been taught to partners in other UK universities and overseas. This has resulted in projects being produced for healthtalk.org and counterpart websites being set up in more than 10 other countries under the umbrella of DIPEx International.
HERG has also produced a significant number of academic papers relating to this research.
For each interview our researchers conduct, just a few extracts will be chosen for publications on this website. Full sets of interviews (usually 35-50 per collection) and supporting documents are retained in the Health Experiences Research Group (HERG) archive. In some cases, the original (primary) researcher may use their own data for a different purpose, possibly with external collaborators. Interviews in the archive are all copyrighted to the University of Oxford and available, under license, to qualitative researchers for secondary analysis (subject to approval and administrative costs).
The following sections on healthtalk.org were produced from research by the group:
Bereavement due to traumatic death
Carers of people with dementia
Caring for someone with a terminal illness
Cervical abnormalities: CIN3 CGIN
Clinical trials and medical research (young people)
Clinical trials: Parents' experiences
Conditions that threaten women's lives in childbirth & pregnancy
Depression & low mood (young people)
Diabetes type 1 (young people)
Drugs & alcohol (young people)
Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS)
Easting disorders (young people)
Ending a pregnancy for fetel abnormality
Experiences of antidepressants
Experiences of depression & recovery in Australia
Experiences of nurses, midwives & allied health professionals in research
Experiences of participating in the 100,000 genomes project
Family experiences of vegetative & minimally concious states
Flu or flu-like illness in chronically or disabled children
Having a grandchild on the autism spectrum
Having a sibling on the autism spectrum
Health & weight (young people)
Intensive care: Experiences of family & friends
Intensive care: Patients' experiences
Living with a urinary catheter
Living with multiple health problems
Long term health conditions (young people)
Losing a baby at 20-24 weeks of pregnancy
Making decisions about birth after caesarean
Mental health: Ethic minority carers' experiences
Mental health: Ethnic minority experiences
Multiple sclerosis: Friends & family experiences
Parents of children on the autism spectrum
Parents of children with congenital heart disease
Parents' experiences of neonatal surgery
Patient & public involvement in research
Pre-eclampsia and high blood pressure in pregnancy
Researchers' experiences of patient & public involvement
Screening for sickle cell and beta thalassaemia
Screening for unrecognised heart valve disease
Seeing the GP: Advice and tips for young people
Self-harm: Parents' experiences
Weight change & associated health problems
Women’s experiences of Domestic Violence and Abuse
Young Adults’ Experiences of Depression in the U.S.