In-Home Ethnographic Immersions: Complex Patient Populations in Ontario

This work required in-home immersions with patients and caregivers, all within a single province (Ontario), across populations that typically demand sensitive outreach, nuanced communication, and strong clinical and advocacy partnerships.

Logit managed the entire recruitment and field process in-house through its dedicated healthcare qual operations team, supported by proprietary panel assets, condition-specific advocacy networks, and established HCP referral pathways. The result was a seamless, high-touch ethnographic program yielding rich, real-world insights across six distinct patient segments.

Objectives

• Capturing day-to-day realities in the home environment
• Understanding emotional, behavioral, and practical challenges
• Documenting unmet needs across the patient and caregiver journey
• Observing treatment routines, coping strategies, and support systems
• Informing future patient-centric design, support programs, and innovation

Methodology:

• In-home ethnographic immersions (Ontario only)
• 15-minute pre-call
• 15-minute homework exercise
• 3-hour immersive home visit

Total Sample:

30 participants across six condition areas, inclusive of patients and caregivers, where appropriate.

Recruitment Approach:

• Logit’s HCP and Consumer Panels
• Advocacy partnerships across each condition area
• HCP referrals from trusted Ontario clinicians and specialist centers
• Caregiver outreach where disease severity required it
• Personalized, empathetic engagement to ensure comfort and trust during in-home visits

Patient Segments & Recruitment Strategy:

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)

N = 5 Patients

• Fully feasible via Logit’s panels
• Supplemental advocacy and HCP referrals
• Leveraged Can-SOLVE CKD resources

Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD): IPF and PF-ILD

N = 5 Patients

• Focus on patients diagnosed within the last two years
• Inclusion of current or past antifibrotic therapy
• Supported by CPFF and ILD specialty clinics

Metastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC)

N = 5 | Split: 3 Patients, 2 Caregivers

• Late-stage disease requiring caregiver presence
• Advocacy network support
• Oncology HCP referrals

Metastatic Small Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC)

N = 5 | Split: 3 Patients, 2 Caregivers

• High-complexity population with variable stability
• Strong reliance on advocacy and oncology partners

Extra-Pulmonary Neuroendocrine Carcinoma (epNEC)

N = 5 | Split: 2 Patients, 3 Caregivers

• Feasible via Logit’s panel with Ontario focus
• Advocacy and specialist referrals supported outreach

Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatohepatitis (MASH)

N = 5 Patients

• Feasible via Logit panel plus advocacy/HCP referrals
• Recruitment adapted as final specs evolved

Execution Excellence

Logit approached this program with the same level of care, precision, and empathy that we bring to all complex healthcare qual. Each condition required its own recruitment strategy, communication style, and support structure — and our team built a tailored plan for every segment.

Our healthcare recruitment specialists managed all outreach directly, ensuring every participant felt informed, comfortable, and respected from first contact through the in-home visit. This included personalized communication, flexible scheduling, and consistent touchpoints to maintain engagement.

On the ground, interviewers were supported throughout the process with detailed profiles, logistical guidance, and contingency planning. This allowed each immersion to run smoothly regardless of disease complexity or participant limitations. The result was a highly coordinated effort that balanced scientific rigor with human sensitivity — critical when entering someone’s home and documenting their lived experience.

Outcomes & Impact

Despite the demands of in-home ethnography and the sensitivity of the conditions involved, all 30 immersions were successfully completed, representing every segment as planned. Participants and caregivers remained engaged, responsive, and comfortable throughout the process — a reflection of the trust built during recruitment and the strength of our partnerships with advocacy groups and HCPs.

The client received rich, contextual insights that could only emerge from extended time inside the home: the nuances of daily routines, the emotional weight of caregiving, the small adaptations that shape life with chronic or late-stage disease, and the environmental realities that often go unseen in traditional research.

The multi-layered recruitment strategy ensured feasibility even in rare and late-stage populations, and the quality of participation reinforced Logit’s position as a dependable partner for high-touch, highly sensitive healthcare qualitative research.

Why This Case Study Resonates

This work demonstrates Logit’s ability to bring together precision, empathy, and operational excellence in one of the most demanding forms of qualitative research. It highlights our ability to navigate rare disease landscapes, manage complex stakeholder networks, and execute in-home ethnography at scale — all within a single province and under tight feasibility constraints.

It also illustrates the power of our integrated recruitment ecosystem: proprietary panels, advocacy partnerships, and trusted HCP relationships working in tandem to deliver exceptional representation and depth. Most importantly, it reflects our commitment to treating every participant — patient or caregiver — with dignity, compassion, and respect, ensuring the insights collected are not only valuable but authentically grounded in lived experience.