How flash mobs can be used for data collection in healthcare? A scoping review protocol

BACKGROUND: Traditional research methods often involve a lengthy process, but the emergence of flash mobs as an innovative data collection method offers the potential to gather substantial data within a short time frame. Flash mobs draw inspiration from the concept of large groups organizing through the internet or mobile devices to perform a prearranged action in public. In healthcare research, flash mobs serve as research organizing method to investigate clinically relevant questions on a large scale within a limited period.

AIMS: This study aims to present a study protocol for a scoping review that comprehensively maps the existing literature on the use of flash mobs as a data collection method in healthcare research.

METHODS: The review will follow established guidelines and include steps such as identifying the research question, identifying relevant studies, selecting studies, charting the data, and collating and summarizing the results. The review will utilize databases, manual screening of additional sources, and covidence for study selection and data charting. The findings will be summarized using descriptive statistics and a descriptive synthesis of qualitative data. The review protocol has been registered with the Open Science Framework.

RESULTS: The results of this scoping review will provide insights into different flash mob designs, motivations, and the data collection process, contributing to the development of high-quality flash mob data collections in healthcare research.