Synchronous online focus groups in health research: application and further development of methodology based on experiences from two mixed-methods research projects

Lander, Jonas; Altawil, Hala; Dilger, Elise-Marie; Bruett, Anna Levke; Fricke, Lara Marleen; Hoekstra, Dyon; John, Cosima; Krauth, Christian; Krüger, Kathrin; Schaubert, Kristina; Sommoggy, Julia von; Thiele, Annett; Dierks, Marie‐Luise

doi:10.1186/s13104-023-06288-0

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 22 publications

(35 reference statements)

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“…The mean duration of our FGs was slightly shorter compared to the optimal recommended duration (78 min vs 90 min) [40]. This may indicate that the discussions were not as in-depth as they could be, probably due to involving more participants in each session than the literature suggests (5 vs 3-4) [41].…”

Section: Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 78%

Stakeholders’ Perspective on the Key Features of Printed Educational Resources to Improve the Quality of Clinical Communication

Gonella,

Di Giulio,

Brofferio

et al. 2024

Healthcare

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Social and healthcare professionals often feel ill equipped to effectively engage in difficult conversations with patients, and poor proficiency negatively affects the quality of patient care. Printed educational resources (PERs) that provide guidance on sustaining complex clinical communication may be a source of support if thoughtfully designed. This study aimed to describe the key features of PERs in order to improve the quality of clinical communication according to the perspective of meaningful stakeholders. This was a descriptive secondary analysis of data collected by three remote focus group discussions that involved 15 stakeholders in the context of developing an educational booklet to support professionals in complex communication scenarios. Focus groups were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim, and an inductive thematic analysis was performed. Three key features of PERs that aim toward quality improvement in clinical communication were identified: (1) having the potential to provide benefits in clinical practice; (2) facilitating, encouraging, and enticing reading; and (3) meeting the need of professionals to improve or update their knowledge. These findings suggest that PERs relevant to professionals’ clinical priorities and learning needs may make their efforts to apply learning in practice more likely and consequently result in improved healthcare quality.

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Section: Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 78%

Stakeholders’ Perspective on the Key Features of Printed Educational Resources to Improve the Quality of Clinical Communication

Gonella,

Di Giulio,

Brofferio

et al. 2024

Healthcare

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“…The host institutions' office for data safety approved the data collection. We carefully adapted data collection to the digital format, considering in particular aspects of interaction, moderation and technical prerequisites ( 34 , 35 ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

How do parents access, appraise, and apply health information on early childhood allergy prevention? A focus group and interview study

Lander

Bitzer

Sommoggy

et al. 2023

Front. Public Health

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BackgroundWhen parents want to make health-related decisions for their child, they need to be able to handle health information from a potentially endless range of sources. Early childhood allergy prevention (ECAP) is a good example: recommendations have shifted from allergen avoidance to early introduction of allergenic foods. We investigated how parents of children under 3 years old access, appraise and apply health information about ECAP, and their respective needs and preferences.MethodsWe conducted 23 focus groups and 24 interviews with 114 parents of children with varied risk for allergies. The recruitment strategy and a topic guide were co-designed with the target group and professionals from public health, education, and medicine. Data were mostly collected via video calls, recorded and then transcribed verbatim. Content analysis according to Kuckartz was performed using MAXQDA and findings are presented as a descriptive overview.ResultsParents most frequently referred to family members, friends, and other parents as sources of ECAP information, as well as healthcare professionals (HCPs), particularly pediatricians. Parents said that they exchanged experiences and practices with their peers, while relying on HCPs for guidance on decision-making. When searching for information online, they infrequently recalled the sources used and were rarely aware of providers of “good” health information. While parents often reported trying to identify the authors of information to appraise its reliability, they said they did not undertake more comprehensive information quality checks. The choice and presentation of ECAP information was frequently criticized by all parent groups; in particular, parents of at-risk children or with a manifested allergy were often dissatisfied with HCP consultations, and hence did not straightforwardly apply advice. Though many trusted their HCPs, parents often reported taking preventive measures based on their own intuition.ConclusionOne suggestion to react upon the many criticisms expressed by parents regarding who and how provides ECAP information is to integrate central ECAP recommendations into regular child care counseling by HCPs—provided that feasible ways for doing so are identified. This would assist disease prevention, as parents without specific concerns are often unaware of the ECAP dimension of issues such as nutrition.

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The research relationship: participant perspectives on consent in biobanking

Thompson,

Lyle,

Samuel

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Background: This paper examines the ethical challenges associated with the governance of large-scale biobanks. As the collection and interrogation of population-scale data is increasingly positioned as the route to new understandings of health and disease, these large-scale biobanks that rely on health research governance are becoming essential elements of research infrastructure. However, their longitudinal nature presents growing challenges for governance. Typically, health research governance uses a one-off consent model where participants agree to specific activities, but evolving technologies make it difficult to anticipate future research applications at the time of consent. Using a recent case study from UK Biobank, we demonstrate how trying to reconcile new research activities with old consent forms risks overlooking critical ethical issues —particularly how the proposed activity aligns with participants’ understanding and expectation of biobank research. Methods: We report on our qualitative research with UK Biobank participants, conducting focus groups using individual and group exercises to explore their views on consent and research applications. We conducted thematic analysis of focus group transcripts applying both an inductive and deductive approach to coding, which was done using NVIVO qualitative data analysis software. Results: Our findings show that participants locate responsibility for research decisions with the biobank, rather than seeking control through their consent. They perceive their consent not as a one-off agreement but as the 'opening act' for an enduring research relationship with the biobank. Conclusions: Prioritising the ongoing research relationship and the practices that sustain it, rather than relying solely on consent procedures, can better support ethical research over time.

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Synchronous online focus groups in health research: application and further development of methodology based on experiences from two mixed-methods research projects

Cited by 4 publications

References 22 publications

Stakeholders’ Perspective on the Key Features of Printed Educational Resources to Improve the Quality of Clinical Communication

Stakeholders’ Perspective on the Key Features of Printed Educational Resources to Improve the Quality of Clinical Communication

How do parents access, appraise, and apply health information on early childhood allergy prevention? A focus group and interview study

The research relationship: participant perspectives on consent in biobanking

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