Using Focus Groups for Public Health Nursing Studies

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Perceived Barriers
Recommendations
Reference

Introduction

Kaiser, Barry, and Kaiser (2010) sought to highlight the significance of focus groups in nursing. Kaiser and colleagues argue that focus groups are essential when evaluating difficult-to-reach populations. This point has been seconded by various scholars such as Peters. To him, the definition of quality must take into account the opinion of clients on how they perceive the services rendered. As such, this approach is vital when dealing with less-educated groups, as well as, those which lack health-related information.

While planning for focus groups, it is important to talk to informants or stakeholders who understand the targeted group. This strategy helps those leading focus groups to learn the unique characteristics of the subjects under study. Learning the unique features of the group under study helps the focus group’s captain to plan accordingly. For instance, it helps in the selection of culturally acceptable settings, decent incentives, appropriate time, and refreshments. It is important to seek the services of a competent bilingual translator as a strategy of minimizing bias that could arise from the group. The objectives of the group under study seem attainable.

Perceived Barriers

In focus groups, the language barrier is the most prevalent. As stated earlier, the focus group under study was comprised of uneducated members, and as such, driving complex information home was a challenge. At times, bilingual translators did not translate the information given as expected, and this distorted the original meaning.

The second challenge was understanding the culture of the group under study. It is significant to understand the culture and unique features that characterize the group under study. If this is not done or is not done correctly, there is a possibility that group members and the group leader might not read from the same script. Such differences dampened the concentration of the group. The third barrier stemmed from the selection of group members. The “forming” stage comes with a host of challenges; there is a possibility that individuals with unsuitable interests were included in the group.

Recommendations

In line with the aforementioned barriers, it is important to have a detailed understanding of the groups’ unique characteristics and culture. In this sense, the group leader must strive to learn the language and some aspects of the culture of the study group in question. He or she must mingle with the group so that members of that group do not see him or her as a stranger. Winning the acceptance of the targeted group is the first step towards a successful campaign. While selecting a bilingual translator, priority should be given to a local expert. During the forming stage, it is essential to design a rationale that allows for the inclusion of members with similar interests.

Having examined the conclusion and limitations of the study conducted by Kaiser and colleagues, it is evident that these authors took into account the aforementioned barriers. The group leader took time to understand the culture of the group under study, and this contributed to the realization of the study’s objectives. However, the language barrier was the most evident challenge. Future studies should employ local experts (translators).

Lastly, group formation goes through four important stages: forming, storming, norming, and performing. For a group to be successful, it sometimes undergoes various cycles of these stages. There are different challenges at any given stage. Team leaders must be competent enough to deal with those challenges. Having worked with a community group before, I have garnered management skills essential in handling focus groups.

Reference

Kaiser, M. M., Barry, T. L., and Kaiser, K. L. (2010). Using Focus Groups to Evaluate and Strengthen Public Health Nursing Population-Focused Interventions. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 3(4), 303-310.

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Using Focus Groups for Public Health Nursing Studies

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