Using Data Mining for Rapid Complex Case Study Descriptions: Example of Public Health Briefings During the Onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The methodological purpose of this article is to demonstrate how data mining contributes to rapid complex case study descriptions. Our complexity-informed design draws on freely accessible datasets reporting the public health response surrounding the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in Alberta (Canada) and involves the cross analysis of integrated findings across six periods of fluctuation identified in the initial quantitative phase of a convergent sequential approach. We discuss how our case meta-inferences, informing how public health briefings can build credibility and trust, were derived by attending to three key concepts of complex adaptive systems: emergence, interdependence, and adaptation. This article serves as an essential reference for using data mining within a case study–mixed methods design for studying complex phenomena.