Focus Group Research Articles

Midwives’ experiences regarding recordkeeping during intrapartum care in Limpopo Province healthcare facilities

Background: South Africa has experienced an increase in litigations because of poor recordkeeping. The quality of maternal healthcare necessitates quality recordkeeping. All midwives’ interventions should be documented in the maternity case record as an instrument to highlight the quality of intrapartum care offered.Objectives: The purpose of the study was to determine and describe the experiences of midwives regarding recordkeeping during intrapartum care in Limpopo province and to make recommendations to improve recordkeeping.Method: A qualitative, explorative and descriptive design was adopted. Midwives were selected purposively to participate in focus group discussions. Data were thematically analysed with the help of the independent transcriptionist and coder.Results: The findings revealed the themes: perceptions of midwives regarding recordkeeping and the challenges and enablers that influence recordkeeping during intrapartum care.Conclusion: Quality recordkeeping requires timely, detailed, comprehensive and accurate recording. The study recommended the availability of updated guidelines, in-service training, monitoring and evaluation of recordkeeping, peer review, record auditing, proper time management among midwives and appointment of staff in line with the staffing needs of the unit to enhance recordkeeping.Contribution: Quality recordkeeping has a positive impact on the provision of quality healthcare to mothers during intrapartum care and reduces litigations related to maternity cases.

Phenomenological exploration of educational mentoring relationships and concerns for 21st century pedagogical praxis in Fitche pre-service primary school college of teacher education, Ethiopia

Purpose: The study explored phenomenological experiences of educational mentoring relationships and concerns for 21st century pedagogical praxis in Fitche pre-service primary school college of teachers’ education. The study answered the central research question “What do the phenomenological experiences of educational mentoring relationships and concerns for 21st century pedagogical praxis in Fitche pre-service primary school teacher education looks like?” Methodology: The study explored the lived experiences of instructors and pre-service teacher candidates regarding mentoring relationships through phenomenological research design. I selected 47 participants using purposive sampling technique based on teaching experience, mentors-mentees’ performance, and academic position. Findings: The data were collected using semi-structured interview, focus group discussion, and researcher’s direct observation. The researcher observed educational relationship experiences between mentors and mentees, and caused vertical and lateral effects on professional development beyond engagements in classrooms. The researcher analyzed textual and contextual data qualitatively in themes. The finding indicated that cognizant to critical realistic approach to education, the study explored mechanisms of re-educating educators towards understanding of lived experiences through contentment, contention, conflict, and conciliation of emotional sates into positive mind-sets. I observed the existing phenomenon in educational mentoring based on inquiry, sharing, encouraging, and caring occurred between mentors and mentees. Educational relationship is stronger between students and grades than mentors and mentees. Implications: Educational mentoring should improve capacity of mentors and mentees’ professional and pedagogical development practices to improve quality of pre-service teacher education.

From 'cooking wife' to 'cooking mother': Exploring generational shifts in perceptions regarding domestic cooking practices.

Utilising the life course perspective as the theoretical framework, we investigate how women from different generations perceive their cooking experiences and articulate their feelings regarding this activity. Following a review of the literature and four exploratory focus groups, an interview guide was developed and piloted. Interviews were conducted with 22 Brazilian women spanning three distinct generations. Participants were prompted to recall their life stories, spanning from childhood to the present day and focused on cooking-related situations. Interviews were transcripted and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. There were three major themes developed. The first theme outlines variations in the food context across generations. The second theme encompasses perceptions of the responsibility for cooking as being linked to the female gender, indicating a generational shift from the role of the 'cooking wife' to that of the 'cooking mother'. The third theme explores thoughts and reflections on feelings of obligation, oppression, and liberation in cooking, tied to changes in the social and temporal context in which these women operate. Strategies promoting cooking should consider the meanings attributed to it, contribute to the deconstruction of gender-specific family dynamics, and encourage the pursuit for pleasure, satisfaction and autonomy in this practice. This study contributes novel insights into cooking, including reflections on obligation or oppression versus liberation and the evolving social roles of women as primary cooks.

‘I am afraid to fly there’: informal care in Polish migrants’ families immobilised by COVID-19

ABSTRACT This paper discusses the COVID-19 pandemic as a new external challenge to transnational family life that can undermine the care arrangements and intentions developed by the families of Polish migrants following the 2004 EU enlargement. The pandemic, associated lockdowns and travel restrictions raise questions about assumed transnationalism, building upon earlier concerns about taking for granted migrants’ cross-national mobility. Based on focus group discussions with Polish grandparents conducted in July 2020 and March 2021, we analyse the pandemic’s impact on intergenerational relations with both geographically close and distant kin. We point to perceptions of risks of COVID-19 associated with ethnicised stereotypes and evolving with time. While the pandemic caused temporary restrictions to mobility, it shows the immobilising side of “unsettling events”], the consequences of which, for privileged EU migrants, will unfold in time as their parents’ age and require personal care.

The Impact of HRM Practices on Employee Performance: A Study on Readymade Garments Sector in Bangladesh

This study explores the impact of Human Resource Management (HRM) practices on employee performance in the Readymade Garments (RMG) sector of Bangladesh, employing qualitative data collection methods to gain in-depth insights. As the RMG sector plays a pivotal role in Bangladesh’s economy, understanding how HRM practices influence employee performance is essential for organizational growth and effectiveness. Data were collected through semi- structured interviews with HR managers, team leaders, and employees from various RMG firms, as well as focus group discussions. The research focused on key HRM practices including recruitment and selection, training and development, performance appraisal, compensation and benefits, and employee relations. These practices were examined to understand their perceived impact on employee performance, such as job satisfaction, productivity and motivation. The qualitative analysis reveals that effective recruitment and selection practices are crucial in aligning employee skills with job requirements, leading to higher performance levels. Comprehensive training programs are valued for enhancing skills and boosting confidence, which positively affects productivity. Transparent and fair performance appraisals are seen as motivating employees and fostering a sense of achievement. Competitive compensation and supportive employee relations contribute to job satisfaction and commitment, driving overall performance. The findings indicate that while HRM practices in the RMG sector are generally effective, there are areas for improvement. This research provides actionable insights for HR professionals and organizational leaders aiming to improve performance outcomes in the RMG sector.

Cognitive Complexity and Degree Planning: Student Perceptions of and Needs From Technology Tools

Colleges around the country have adopted technology tools to simplify planning and registration processes and provide interventions to support students’ timely completion. However, there is little evidence of these tools’ efficacy in improving student progression and completion (c.f., Rossman et al., 2021; Velasco et al., 2020). The minimal impact of advising and planning technologies on student success is amplified among institutions supporting the students who make up the new majority of postsecondary learners—those who are Black, Latine, Indigenous, and/or low-income (BLI/LI). One possible reason for this is that such tools were not designed with the needs of this population in mind. Using process map and focus group data from students at two broad-access universities, coupled with interview data from institutional stakeholders, this study interrogates the ways that BLI/LI students engage in academic planning. We find that this process is more cognitively complex and nuanced than is typically acknowledged; program planning tools do not include the information BLI/LI students require; and low-income college students are particularly disadvantaged by these tools. As such, we find support for the hypothesis that current tools’ efficacy is muted because they do not center the needs of BLI/LI students in their design.

‘Resilient survivors’: narratives of violence against women of refugee background

ABSTRACT Scholarship on migrant deservingness explores how host society institutions require specific types of performances, particularly of vulnerability/ powerlessness and resilience/ self-sufficiency, sometimes in temporal succession. Such performances are also required of victim-survivors of violence against women, a category that overlaps considerably with refugees. This study brings together feminist literature related to violence against women with migrant deservingness literature, to observe how cultural factors interact with host society institutions. The article draws on an empirical study about narratives of violence in the lives of women of refugee background in Ireland, centring five in-depth interviews with self-identified victim-survivors, alongside six focus group discussions with women of refugee background. Using narrative analysis, I explore individual and collective identities in response to violence. Narrative identities of resilience are strongly present, while vulnerability is not. I conclude that, in line with scholarship on migrant deservingness, neoliberal institutional discourses of ‘resilient survivors’ support individual women to express agentic, albeit individualising and responsibilitising narratives, and I add that this simultaneously upholds patriarchal cultures of silence and inaction about violence. I offer conceptual thinking on ‘space for action’ as an alternative approach for scholars and practitioners to construct and consider the victim-survivor of violence against refugee women.

Experience-based co-design to develop innovative telehealth physiotherapy interventions and resources for children and young people with asthma and dysfunctional breathing

Introduction Healthcare requires new technologies to deliver hybrid services. Before embedding health-delivery transformations including physiotherapy in asthma clinics, it is essential to give young people and their carers a voice to facilitate co-designing of services. Objective To co-design hybrid telehealth physiotherapy services and online resources for, and in partnership with, young people with asthma and dysfunctional breathing, and their families. Methods Experience based co-design study undertaken at a specialist paediatric difficult asthma clinic, including online service user focus groups and electronic questionnaires for service providers. Eight children aged between 11 and 17 years and their families and 11 members of the multi-disciplinary team (MDT) managing children with difficult asthma were recruited purposively. Results A series of seven online videos were created, topics included: how to support a breathless child, education on how we breathe, breathing patterns, symptom differentiation, breathlessness, rescue breathing techniques, and exercise. Each video has downloadable resources. Five children and four parents wrote blogs to share their experiences. A live online 12-week physiotherapy program was developed on a web-based platform www.beamfeelgood.com called Asthma Kids. Conclusion Co-design enabled partnership working to develop hybrid telehealth physiotherapy services and prototype interventions to support home practice for children with asthma and dysfunctional breathing.

Ambivalent citizenship: political cynicism, community engagement and belonging among youth in Brazil

ABSTRACT This article interrogates the role of urban peripheries in creating political imaginaries and understandings of citizenship among children and grandchildren of insurgent citizens in urban Northeast Brazil. The analysis draws on data collected through 10 ethnographically informed focus groups with youth between 18 and 35. The article argues that, contrary to beliefs that young people are apathetic about politics or enthusiastic to engage in progressive social movements, youth have an ambivalent relationship with the state, informed by everyday encounters with precarious infrastructure, awareness of previous forms of collective action that determines their civic engagement, and feelings of belonging to home communities. The article suggests revisiting the concept of insurgent citizenship considering new socio-political changes that framed the lives of young people living in urban peripheries in the past two decades in Brazil and proposes ambivalence as a productive theoretical angle to make sense of ruptures and discontinuities in political practices.

Engaging Burn Survivors, Their Families, and the Burn Community in Patient-Centered Outcomes Research: A Burn Survivor- and Burn Community Stakeholder-Generated and Prioritized Research Agenda.

Burn survivors are involved in burn research, but typically in the role of research subject. We believe that the outcomes and impact of burn research can be improved by engaging survivors as collaborators in the planning, implementation, and dissemination of burn research. The goal of this work was to produce the first burn research agenda generated and prioritized by burn survivors and other stakeholders from the burn community. A series of structured focus groups covering five topics (Patient and Family Education, Aftercare, Navigating the Healthcare System, Recovery: Physical and Psychosocial, and Barriers to Research) were held with burn survivors and their family members. Specific research questions/topics were identified from the transcripts and prioritized via an anonymous survey of burn survivors, their caregivers, and other stakeholders from the burn community. From these sessions, 37 specific research questions/topics were identified and ranked. In addition, 19 research barriers were identified and ranked. This work presents an innovative approach to burn research through co-production with survivors and other stakeholders. Burn survivors and their caregivers are experts in their lived experiences. By involving them in burn research as collaborators and contributors from the very first steps of research and throughout the continuum of the research planning, conducting projects, and distributing findings, we believe that the research will be both more successful and more impactful. We have taken the first steps in burn research co-production with this novel stakeholder-generated research agenda for the burn community.

Moving Diabetes Prevention Programs to the Workplace: A Qualitative Exploration of Barriers and Facilitators to Participant Engagement When Implemented by an Employer-Based Clinic.

The Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP), an effective evidence-based strategy to reduce the incidence of type 2 diabetes, has been widely implemented in various locations, including workplaces. However, most people do not remain engaged in the program for the recommended full year. Limited qualitative research exists around participant engagement in the workplace DPP. Our study aimed to explore participant engagement in the DPP delivered through the employer-based clinic (EBC) at a large technology company. The DPP was implemented through the EBC at a large technology company in Southern California, beginning in September 2019 by using in-person and virtual synchronous group classes before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Virtual focus groups with DPP participants from 2 inaugural cohorts were conducted via Zoom from October 2020 to February 2021. Data were analyzed by using inductive thematic analysis. Five focus groups with 2 to 3 participants in each (total n = 12) were conducted, 2 focus groups per cohort and 1 focus group with the group instructors. Barriers and facilitators to engagement in the DPP were grouped into thematic domains: Individual Drivers, Small Group Community, Workplace Setting, Integrated EBC, and the COVID-19 Pandemic. Results showed that prepandemic workplace demands (ie, meetings, travel) affected DPP participation, yet the group setting provided social support in the workplace to engage in and maintain healthy habits. With the move to a virtual synchronous offering during the pandemic, participants valued the group setting but expressed a preference for in-person meetings. Collectively, participant engagement was bolstered by shared buy-in and collaboration between the employer and the EBC. Our findings suggest that engagement in a workplace DPP can be supported by addressing workplace-specific barriers and gaining buy-in from employers. Delivering the DPP, in person and virtually, through an EBC has the potential to engage employees who have prediabetes.

Exploring the Feasibility of Social Skills Programs for Autistic Youth Through Virtual Reality.

Many autistic individuals may desire support and services primarily in the areas of adaptive functioning and social well-being throughout their lifetime. There is a need for community-informed and person-centered social programs targeted for autistic adolescents and adults. New technology, such as virtual reality (VR), is being researched to assess the feasibility of providing therapeutic services to autistic individuals. This qualitative study aims to better understand and explore the perceptions of parents and autistic adolescents regarding social development and thoughts around social skills interventions delivered through technologies such as VR. Eight autistic adolescents between the ages of 12 to 17, and five parents participated across five focus groups. The focus group interviews were semi-structured, and qualitative data analysis was conducted through an open thematic approach and inductive coding process. Seven primary themes with sub-themes were identified throughout the focus group interview discussions: Social Skills of the participating autistic adolescents as reported by their parents and by self-report, Family Dynamics affecting social relationships within the family, Social Skills Goals both groups hoped to develop and improve, the existence and quality of In-Person vs. Online Friendships, Experience/Comfort With Technology, Openness to Virtual Environments, and Concerns for Virtual Environments. Researchers identified these themes across both parent and adolescent focus groups. This study provides guidance to the research community on investigating different innovative approaches for offering a social program that is supported by autistic individuals.

How big is too big? A qualitative study of discretionary food portion size norms among Australian consumers.

The high availability of energy-dense nutrient-poor discretionary foods in large serving and package sizes may have shifted portion size norms (described as a typical perception of how much people choose to eat from a given food at a single eating occasion) towards larger sizes. Few public health recommendations exist around appropriate discretionary food portion sizes. This qualitative study aimed to explore the underlying rationale of portion size norms of discretionary foods among Australian adults 18-65 years. Four focus group sessions were conducted. Collected data were analysed using inductive thematic analysis. Focus groups were held online via Zoom between September and October 2023. Thirty-four participants were recruited in the study (mean age 38 years, 19 females). The key themes raised from inductive analysis were personal factors, eating context factors, and food environment factors relevant to the portion size norms. A framework was established to illustrate the interaction across these themes during the conceptualisation of the norms. For serving size availability, consumers found that there were limited serving size choices when making portion size selections and lacked the knowledge and skills in portion control. These findings highlight the need to make positive changes to the current food environment and develop relevant public health guidelines around appropriate portion sizes to promote healthier portion size norms and enable better portion control.

‘There’s Nothing Strange’: Language Policy and Racialisation at Warehouse Workplaces

ABSTRACT Sweden is a country where racial/ethnic power relations reflect and reinforce the marginalisation of groups of people. Research has shown that language makes part of such racialised processes through makings of the Swedish language into the norm and a consequent stigmatisation of the ‘non-Swedish’ others. This article explores the role of language in racialisation at the workplace level of online retail warehousing. The empirical material comprises interviews (n = 24) and focus groups (n = 15 groups, tot. of 49 participants) with managers, team leaders, and workers at three online retail warehouses in Sweden, with an emphasis on the perceptions of a Swedish language policy that had been implemented in one of the warehouses. The policy had been implemented to promote inclusion and to create opportunities for workers whose primary language was not Swedish. The article shows that the language policy can be understood as racialising, even though that was not its purpose.

Evaluating the Value of Eye-Tracking Augmented Debriefing in Medical Simulation-A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

Debriefing after simulation facilitates reflective thinking and learning. Eye-tracking augmented debriefing (ETAD) may provide advantages over traditional debriefing (TD) by leveraging video replay with first-person perspective. This multisite randomized controlled trial compared the impact of ETAD with TD (without eye-tracking and without video) after simulation on 4 outcomes: (1) resident metacognitive awareness (the primary outcome), (2) cognitive load (CL) of residents and debriefers, (3) alignment of resident self-assessment and debriefer assessment scores, and (4) resident and debriefer perceptions of the debriefing experience. Fifty-four emergency medicine residents from 2 institutions were randomized to the experimental (ETAD) or the control (TD) arm. Residents completed 2 simulation stations followed by debriefing. Before station 1 and after station 2, residents completed a Metacognition Awareness Inventory (MAI). After each station, debriefers and residents rated their CL and completed an assessment of performance. After the stations, residents were interviewed and debriefers participated in a focus group. There were no statistically significant differences in mean MAI change, resident CL, or assessment alignment between residents and debriefers. Debriefer CL was lower in the experimental arm. Interviews identified 4 themes: (1) reflections related to debriefing approach, (2) eye-tracking as a metacognitive sensitizer, (3) translation of metacognition to practice, and (4) ETAD as a strategy to manage CL. Residents reported that eye tracking improved the specificity of feedback. Debriefers relied less on notes, leveraged video timestamps, appreciated the structure of the eye-tracking video, and found the video useful when debriefing poor performers. There were no significant quantitative differences in MAI or resident CL scores; qualitative findings suggest that residents appreciated the benefits of the eye-tracking video review. Debriefers expended less CL and reported less perceived mental effort with the new technology. Future research should leverage longitudinal experimental designs to further understand the impact of eye-tracking facilitated debriefing.

RADIOGRAPHY CLINICAL EDUCATION AMIDST THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: PERSPECTIVE OF RADIOGRAPHY STUDENTS INTERNATIONALLY

Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic has signifi cantly impacted clinical practice. This study explored the impact of the pandemic on diagnostic radiography clinical education from the perspective of radiography students internationally. Materials and methods: A qualitative approach was used to gain insight into students' experience of clinical placement during the pandemic. A total of sixteen radiography students from six countries were recruited from an international Radiography summer research school. Qualitative data was gathered via three semi-structured focus groups (5-6 students per focus group). Data was analysed using Braun and Clark’s phases of thematic analysis. Results: Five key themes emerged in relation to clinical education during the COVID-19 pandemic, (i) unequal student access to personal protective equipment (PPE) (ii) challenges in achieving clinical learning outcomes (iii) impact of online education on clinical readiness (iv) emotional impact, and (v) coping strategies. Students indicated that they were particularly afraid of transmitting COVID-19 to their family and friends. Some students reported that they felt under pressure to receive COVID-19 vaccinations prior to clinical practice. Others reported confusion with respect to infection control guidelines and application of PPE. Conclusion: Student radiographers identifi ed key challenges which require consideration by educators to ensure students are appropriately prepared for and supported on clinical placement during a pandemic. Implications for practice: • The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted clinical education internationally and this study identifi es the implications for radiography students in terms of clinical readiness and their clinical placement experience. • Simulation-based in-person learning in the X-ray lab and PPE training were perceived by students to be important factors impacting clinical readiness.

The Digitalization of Social Care in England and Implications for Older, Unpaid Carers: Constructionist Thematic Analysis

Background Globally, populations are aging, generating concerns about the sustainability of health and social care provision. In terms of the public provision of social care in particular, unpaid carers provide much of the support to people with disabilities and older people. In addition, there is an increased onus in many countries on digital transformation projects, in the hope that the digitalization of services can create efficiencies and savings in both costs and care labor. In England, the focus of this paper, the shift to digital services is also framed as a means to enhance choice and control for older unpaid carers, while being part of a broader offering that includes nondigital alternatives and support to mitigate digital exclusion. Objective This study examines the impact of digitalization on older, unpaid carers—a group more likely to be both expected to engage digitally with services and at risk of digital exclusion—in England, focusing on their lived experiences in terms of caring and access to social care. Methods We used a constructionist approach to thematic analysis, where data from 48 older unpaid carers collected through focus groups were analyzed using thematic analysis, resulting in 4 prevailing themes. Results Our findings indicated that while unpaid carers largely acknowledge the benefits of digitalization, they also highlight several points of failure, whereby engagement with digital spaces is experienced as coercive and exacerbates feelings of exclusion. These are further worsened by government failures to address issues of connectivity, imposing additional financial burdens and complicating tasks such as benefit applications. Conclusions In this study, we have highlighted the need for greater involvement in shaping both policy and technological solutions, which in turn will be more inclusive and aligned to the aspirations and circumstances of older carers.

Research Buddy—From a Framework for Overcoming Language Barriers to the Development of a Qualitative Citizen Science Platform

Abstract Students benefit from international study programmes in fields such as HCI. However, user-centred research in a foreign country has some challenges, especially language hurdles when going into the field and conducting ethnographic and participatory studies. A particular obstacle is added when targeting groups that do not speak English, such as in Germany, where English was not taught in schools until the 1970s. The task and challenge of the present project, ‘Research Buddy’, is to bring together young international students and older people as co-researchers in Germany. We describe the participatory development of the concept of a matching platform and its design. In focus groups with older people, university faculty and students, requirements for a collaborative research infrastructure were jointly identified and prototypically implemented. The empirical results focus on the possibilities the platform offers for qualitative citizen science in the field of age tech.

Inclusion of Students With Disabilities in Physical Education: The Crossroads of Systemic Coherence

Abstract This study aims to identify and comprehend the factors and pedagogical practices that facilitate or hinder the inclusion of students with disabilities in physical education classes at school, considering micro and macrosystemic levels. The methodology employed in this study was a case study approach, using an interpretative phenomenological analysis to construct thematic categories of analysis. These categories include: 1.Flexibility of the physical education teacher’s practices and strategies, 2. Teacher training, 3. Inclusive spaces and infrastructure, 4. Involvement of the educational community. The various data collection tools (interviews, focus groups and observations) allowed to portray and illuminate each of the topics of analysis and the contextual differences of the three schools analyzed. The findings demonstrate that inclusive strategies must be coherent and systemic in accordance with the contexts. However, it is possible to highlight inclusive strategies that reveal the importance of teacher commitment, the interconnected work between teachers and school management, the use of expeditious communication channels within the educational community and with governmental levels, the use of implements related to the practice of physical education and the use of the teacher’s voice as the primary agent for the implementation of inclusive learning strategies.

Questioning the status quo: Latino community members as researchers in the study of health equity.

Latinos experience disproportionate rates of obesity and related conditions like type 2 diabetes, which are projected to increase (Mohebi et al., 2022). Standard interventions for these issues often fall short due to individual-focused approaches and the lack of culturally sensitive definitions of health that include emotional, physical, political, and social domains (Gutierrez Chavez et al., 2022; Ritchie et al., 2020). Multilevel and multidimensional research efforts, integrating social justice-informed orientations, psychotherapy science, and behavioral medicine, are crucial for addressing these health inequities (Asnaani, 2023; Collins et al., 2018; Rodriguez Espinosa & Verney, 2021). Additionally, critically analyzing researcher and participant roles is essential to avoid perpetuating systemic racism (Cook et al., 2023). This article highlights the need for a paradigm shift in psychotherapy research by (a) describing Latino families' eating patterns and coping strategies for emotional distress through focus groups in the community and (b) illustrating the process behind the community-partnered development of a culturally responsive mindfulness-based health intervention. Importantly, this research approach emphasizes liberation psychology theory in the exploration of structural influences affecting health (Martín-Baró, 1996). While mindfulness techniques are feasible in this population (Cotter & Jones, 2020), Latino communities may not be amenable to the current presentation of mainstream psychological science interventions. Our research paradigm informed the conceptualization of mindfulness techniques through both clinical science and critical lenses. Thus, this study argues for reconceptualizing the definition of a successful psychotherapy study to include community engagement and liberatory principles, making the potential for big needle jumps in addressing health inequities incalculable. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).