Focus group methodology

Abstract

Introduction Researching individual perspectives of care giving is a complex and arduous exercise, sometimes fraught with design difficulties (Zarit et al 1999). The need to address the methodological challenges of user-focused approaches to research on older persons has been expressed by experts in the field (McCormack and Ford 1999). In order to overcome perceived difficulties, some studies have chosen a triangulation of both qualitative and quantitative approaches aimed at obtaining a more comprehensive picture of need (Judge and Solomon 1992, Denman 1998). The authors’ area of study incorporates user consultation and participation as integral elements in the research process. It embraces the inclusion, recognition and representation of informal carers of older people, fostering the United Nation’s central tenets of care, dignity, independence, participation and self-fulfilment (Sidorenko 1999). The investigation set out to elicit and prioritise carers’ subjectively perceived needs in relation to service assessment, planning, delivery and evaluation. This empowering approach represents a challenge to broaden the focus of healthcare through a process that elicits the views of key stakeholders. Its principles can be applied where changes are required in response to user needs in a variety of practice settings. The decision to designate 1999 as the International Year of Older Persons raised the profile of issues pertaining to older people and their carers. It is important that carers are involved in the decision-making processes that underpin policy development. Nonetheless, research evidence suggests that informal carers have not been involved meaningfully in service planning processes (Ruddle et al 1997). Previous studies in Britain (Thornton and Tozer 1994, Myers and MacDonald 1996) and Scotland (Stalker et al 1993) have explored initiatives aimed at consulting with older people and their carers in