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PubMed2005

A focus group enquiry into stress experienced by staff working with people with challenging behaviours.

A focus group is a group of people with a shared interest who meet to discuss a particular topic and generate information and opinion. Initially developed for use in market research, focus groups have been widely used in research and are often used in health and social care research. There is an increasing use of focus groups within learning disability settings both with staff and with service users. In this study a series of explorative focus groups gathered information from community staff regarding their experiences of stress when working with people with learning disabilities and challenging behaviours.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed2002

Couples' experiences with prostate cancer: focus group research.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To explore the experiences of couples living with prostate cancer, the impact of the illness on their quality of life, their ability to manage symptoms, and their suggestions for interventions that would help them to improve their daily experiences. DESIGN: Descriptive, qualitative. SETTING: Six focus groups were used to obtain the data; two were patient-only groups, two were spouse-caregiver groups, and two were dyad groups. The focus groups were conducted at two comprehensive cancer centers in the midwestern region of the United States. SAMPLE: 42 participants: 22 men with prostate cancer and 20 spouse-caregivers. METHODS: Focus group discussions were tape-recorded, and the content was analyzed. MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES: Quality of life, symptom experience, and areas for intervention. FINDINGS: Four major themes emerged from the data: enduring uncertainty, living with treatment effects, coping with changes, and needing help. CONCLUSIONS: Participants had a need for information and support. Both men and spouse-caregivers felt unprepared to manage treatment effects. Symptoms had a broad effect on couples, not just men. Positive effects of the illness, as well as negative effects, emerged from the themes. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING: Attention needs to be given to methods of providing information and support to couples coping with prostate cancer. Both patients and partners need to be included in discussions about the effect of the illness and treatments so that both can feel more prepared to manage them.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1996

Focus groups describe rural nursing in New York state.

Focus groups were conducted at three sites in rural regions of New York state to describe the nature of rural nursing in terms of scope of practice, barriers, needs, and resources. Five nurses from a variety of rural practice settings participated in each group (n = 15), which was led by a nurse facilitator who was a member of the New York State Nurses Association Committee on Rural Nursing. The focus group methodology included a semi-structured format in which three defined questions were circulated before the meeting and addressed in sequence at the meeting according to the established and prearranged agenda. Key characteristics defining the scope of rural nursing included autonomy, flexibility, and creativity. The main needs identified were for accessible education and professional collegial relationships. Resources included the ease of communication without complex structures, interdisciplinary interaction and respect, and the sense of being part of the community in which the practice agency existed. Despite the barriers, these rural nurses received a great deal of satisfaction from their nursing activities and felt that they made a significant contribution to health care in their community. They also had feasible suggestions to address their needs.

Faculty, Nursing↗
PubMed2026

Underrepresented voices in a Colorado Biobank: Perspectives from focus groups on motivations, return of results, and data sharing.

Most participants in large cohorts, such as biobanks, are of European descent. This lack of representation has been an ongoing challenge in genomic research. Understanding the perspectives on genomics research and participation in biobanks of historically underrepresented populations could provide insight into ways to better engage with these groups. We conducted a series of virtual and in-person focus groups with individuals who self-identified as American Indian or Alaska Native (AI/AN), African American/Black (AA/B), or Hispanic/Latino (H/L) and who were enrolled in the Colorado Center for Personalized Medicine (CCPM) biobank. The focus group discussions were centered on participant experiences, including but not limited to their motivations, return of results, and data sharing. There was a total of 23 participants across the six focus groups. The majority of participants identified as AI/AN (60.9%), followed by H/L (39.1%), and AA/B (21.7%); many participants identified with multiple race/ethnicities. The motivations for participating in the biobank included the potential to advance science and health, the potential for return of results, to learn more about one's ancestry, and a few indicated that they were interested in helping the biobank be more representative of all populations. Notably, many expressed positive feedback of the focus groups and felt that their views were valued, illustrating the importance of community-centered work. Our findings can be used to guide recruitment and engagement of biobank participants, especially from diverse backgrounds, contributing to enhanced partnerships advancing knowledge and healthcare.

biobank↗
PubMed2001

Conducting focus groups with women with severe psychiatric disabilities: a methodological overview.

This article presents information on the methodology used in conducting focus groups with women with severe psychiatric disabilities. The purpose of the focus groups was to understand the experiences of low-income women with severe psychiatric disabilities in accessing and using primary health care services. Discussed are the design decisions researchers should reflect on when constructing and conducting focus groups with women with severe psychiatric disabilities. Information on how guidelines from the literature on conducting focus groups were adapted for these women as well as lessons learned from this experience are presented.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Subjective experiences of stigma. A focus group study of schizophrenic patients, their relatives and mental health professionals.

Schizophrenia has been found to be one of the most stigmatising conditions. To the present, most research on stigma related to mental illness has drawn conclusions on the adverse reactions faced by people with schizophrenia from studies on public attitudes or analogue behavioural studies. The views of those exposed to the stigmatising reactions, however, has largely been absent. Aiming to explore stigma from the subjective perspective of people with schizophrenia, a focus group study was carried out at the four centres involved in the WPA Global Programme against Stigma and Discrimination because of Schizophrenia in Germany. In order to get a comprehensive picture of how stigma affects the lives of schizophrenic patients, collateral information was sought from relatives and mental health professionals. The focus groups enquired about concrete stigmatisation experiences of the patients and incidences of stigma witnessed by the other two groups. Focus group sessions were tape-recorded and transcripts were coded using an inductive method. Results reveal four dimensions of stigma: interpersonal interaction, structural discrimination, public images of mental illness and access to social roles. Examples are given for the views of patients, relatives and mental health professionals on each of the four stigma types. The consequences for conceptualisations of stigma and the development of effective strategies to reduce stigma and discrimination because of schizophrenia are discussed.

Attitude to Health↗
PubMed2006

Focus groups and older adults: Tactics for success.

Factors a nurse clinician should consider when planning focus group size are the number of questions to be posed, depth of responses desired, anticipated "no shows," and time period allotted. Establishing the ground rules for the session and explaining confidentiality expectations are essential starting points for the group. Nurse clinicians are well situated to use focus groups with older adults to explore a number of inquiries, from clinical problems to service utilization. Things to consider when planning focus groups with older adults include length of time the older adult group can participate, seating arrangements that comfortably accommodate individuals with disabilities, and accessible location.

Aged↗
PubMed2003

Patient expectations regarding eye care: focus group results.

BACKGROUND: Increasing emphasis on patient-centered care and other recent developments should make patient expectations increasingly important in ophthalmology. Motivated by the pivotal role of patient expectations in quality-of-care assessments and by the limited knowledge about patients' expectations regarding eye care, we initiated a pilot study using focus groups to determine a relevant set of concerns that patients express as expectations. METHODS: A total of 6 focus groups were conducted with patients at Duke University Eye Center (Durham, NC). Focus groups ranged in size from 4 to 10 people. The average group size was 6. RESULTS: Content analysis of transcripts from the 6 focus groups yielded 22 areas of expectations for eye care, which were classified into 5 categories: communication, interpersonal manner, physician's skill, logistics, and other. The 6 areas that appeared to be of greatest importance to focus group participants were the following: (1) honesty, (2) information about diagnosis and prognosis, (3) explanation in clear language, (4) ophthalmologist's experience and reputation, (5) empathy, and (6) listening and addressing concerns. CONCLUSIONS: In general, ophthalmology patients in the focus groups emphasized expectations related to communication and interpersonal manner. In contrast to previous studies with primary care patients, however, ophthalmology patients expressed few expectations for technical interventions, such as medication prescriptions, physical examination, or diagnostic testing.

Focus Groups↗
PubMed2006

Cultural attitudes and caregiver service use: lessons from focus groups with racially and ethnically diverse family caregivers.

Focus groups were conducted with caregivers from eight racial-specific or ethnic-specific populations (African Americans, Chinese, Filipinos, Hispanics, Koreans, Native Americans, Russians, and Vietnamese), to examine cultural variations in caregiving experiences, care-related values and beliefs, care practices, and factors contributing to decisions about the use of caregiver support services. Analysis of focus group transcripts revealed three cross-cutting constructs: familism, group identity, and attitudinal and structural barriers to service use. We discuss these findings in terms of their implications for existing knowledge regarding family responsibility, resource utilization, and program development for racially and ethnically diverse family caregivers.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Using focus groups to design a community health program: what roles should volunteers play?

This volunteer-based community health advisory program illustrated the benefits of using focus groups to monitor and guide program development. Three focus groups, conducted by program evaluators, obtained input regarding the role of community volunteers. Focus group findings confirmed some of the assumptions held by program developers but refuted others. For example, prospective community participants and program developers were found to view the role of "volunteer" in the neighborhood health advisory program differently. As a result, adjustments were made in recruitment strategies and other procedural aspects to accommodate the residents' perspectives and values. This experience illustrated how preliminary focus group research can enhance linkage between program developers and community members.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1999

Collaboration between community nurses and nursing faculty using substance abuse prevention focus groups.

Collaboration between community nurses and nurses from a university who conducted focus groups is discussed. The focus groups explored why low-income, inner-city, white women of childbearing age did not abuse drugs. This partnership effort resulted in positive, successful outcomes for both groups of nurses and yielded culturally sensitive information that may be useful in preventing substance abuse. Methods of facilitating this collaboration and results of our joint endeavors are explored.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

An introduction and application of focus group research to the health care industry.

Focus group research is a qualitative research tool gaining in popularity today. An area of potential application for this tool is the health care industry. This article introduces focus group research, reviews the technique from conceptual and methodological perspectives, sets forth a suggested framework for the conduct of such research, and provides an illustrative example of its use in the health care field.

Group Processes↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Evaluation of a pharmaceutical care education series for chain pharmacists using the focus group method.

OBJECTIVES: (1) Describe a pharmaceutical care education program presented to a group of pharmacists employed by a large pharmacy chain; (2) present the results of a formative evaluation of that program, and show how these can be used to improve subsequent offerings of the program as well as to enhance the efforts of other pharmacies and colleges involved in similar ventures; and (3) describe the focus group method in detail and demonstrate its usefulness as an evaluation tool. DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS: Two pharmacist focus groups and two patient focus groups. SETTING: Chain pharmacy corporation and two colleges of pharmacy. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Effects on attitudes and practice. RESULTS: The focus group method is useful for this type of evaluation. The educational series had a positive effect on pharmacists' attitudes and reported practice behavior. However, these improvements were not obvious to patients. Small group learning modules that include cases or problem-based exercises are probably effective vehicles for achieving educational goals. CONCLUSION: The chain pharmacy corporation should revise the educational program and expose more pharmacist-employees to it. This company and others should consider providing off-site, in-person education to employee pharmacists that makes use of an interactive, small group format. Although effective, the focus group method could have been improved by a more rigorous patient recruitment process and greater structure to the debriefing sessions for staff.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Focus group discussions in medical research.

Qualitative research methods have recently started to gain popularity in social and health sciences for determining a more holistic view of peoples' perceptions about health. Focus group discussions are frequently used to obtain perspectives and attitudes of people about issues, seek explanations for behavior, triangulate data obtained through other qualitative methods and generate hypotheses. To facilitate clinicians to comprehend the use of focus group methodology in the clinical field, the meaning, purpose, advantages, limitations and quality assurance measures of focus group discussions are described. The general requirements and the method for conducting focus groups are briefly explained. In addition, key issues that could be addressed by focus group methodology have also been highlighted.

Focus Groups↗
PubMed1993

Focus groups in distance nursing education.

This paper describes an educator's experience using focus groups with post-RN nursing students in a course offered by audio teleconferencing. The purposes of implementing focus groups included: to increase involvement of students located in the distance education settings, to implement principles of adult learning, to increase opportunities for drawing on the experience of the students, and to improve the quality of learning experience offered by distance education. An example is given to demonstrate how the process was used to integrate the focus group experience into the distance education classroom.

Curriculum↗
PubMed2000

Computer-mediated focus groups.

This article discusses the feasibility and effectiveness of computer-mediated (CM) focus groups. The study describes technological and practical considerations the authors learned from conducting such groups and reports on a comparison of the reactions of CM and face-to-face (FTF) participants in focus groups discussing academic dishonesty. The results suggest that the CM environment, in comparison to FTF, may lessen members' concern about what the moderator thinks of them and discourage participants from withholding embarrassing information. The article concludes with a list of suggestions for this technique and a discussion of the potential advantages and limitations associated with CM focus groups.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Using focus groups to evaluate and strengthen public health nursing population-focused interventions.

Nebraska Health Connection Access Medicaid's (NHC AM) public health nursing (PHN) population-focused practice model is designed to provide enrollment, education, and PHN case management interventions for the Medicaid Managed Care population. Evaluation and continuous improvement of these interventions are, in part, completed through a collaborative effort between NHC AM and a quality management team at the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Nursing. Focus group methodology was used to access non-English-speaking populations to evaluate and strengthen population-focused PHN interventions.

Attitude to Health↗
PubMed1995

Critical factors in the determination of focus group size.

From a theoretical perspective, it is difficult to decide an optimal number of participants that should be included in a focus group. Despite recent attempts, critical factors for the determination of the size of a focus group remain uncertain and can further be elaborated. From a practical perspective, this paper proposes four other factors that can be used for the determination of focus group size. These are: the number of questions asked, the allotted time for each question, the format of the focus group session and the duration of the session. Above all, the size of a group should first be determined by the aims of the research study.

Focus Groups↗