Group Interview Study Research Articles

Provider Perspectives, Barriers, and Improvement Strategies for Hospital Discharge Support Programs: A Focus Group Interview Study.

Transitional periods, such as patient discharge, are notably challenging. This study aimed to explore the perceptions of providers involved in hospital discharge support programs, identify the primary obstacles, and propose strategies for improvement. In this qualitative cross-sectional study, we interviewed 49 healthcare professionals, comprising doctors, nurses, and social workers, who participated in two pilot programs. We organized focus group interviews with 3-6 participants per group, segmented by the type of discharge support program and profession. For data analysis, we employed phenomenological analysis, a qualitative method. Participants recognized the importance of the discharge support program and anticipated its benefits. The Rehabilitation Hospital Discharge Patient Support Program saw more active involvement from doctors than the Establishment of a Public Health-Medical Collaboration System program. Both programs highlighted the critical need for more staff and better compensation, as identified by the doctors. Nurses and social workers cited the heavy documentation burden, uncooperative attitudes from patients and local governments, and other issues. They also anticipated that program improvements could be achieved through the standardization of regional welfare services and better coordination by local governments serving as welfare service regulators. All groups-doctors, nurses, and social workers-underscored the significance of promoting these programs. Discharge support programs are crucial for patients with functional impairments and severe illnesses, particularly in ensuring continuity of care. Policy support is essential for the successful implementation of these programs in South Korea.

Children’s and adolescents’ views of health and mental health concepts - A qualitative group interview study

BackgroundDefinitions and perceptions of health and mental health have not remained static over time. This is also true for statistics over Swedish children’s and adolescents’ health and mental health status. The majority of Swedish school-aged children and adolescents report good physical health and good life satisfaction. However, there are some warning signs when it comes to children’s and adolescents’ health and mental health status, for instance, an increased overweight or obesity in children and adolescents, as well as a higher proportion reporting psychological problems and stress. There is also a need for knowing more about the younger population’s voices in this matter. The aim was therefore to explore children’s and adolescent’s conceptualizations and perceptions of health in general, and mental health in particular.MethodsOpen semistructured group interviews with 44 Swedish children and adolescents (10–14 years old) recruited from four schools were conducted. The interviews were conducted between April 2022 and January 2023. Data were analyzed with qualitative content analysis.ResultsChildren’s and adolescents’ conceptualizations of health included aspects of both the body and the mind, with a focus on the latter. Mental health was expressed as a state of being, illustrated by various lived experiences of emotions, moods, and thoughts. The social world was ever present in their understanding of health, e.g., through the lenses of social and gender norms.ConclusionsThis study revealed children’s and adolescents’ recognition of health terms and their ability to observe nuances between mental health problems and everyday struggles. The participants discussed mental health problems to a greater extent than positive mental health. An implication of this study is the highlighted need to focus more on mental health promotion in future preventive programs. These findings might potentially influence how school staff and student health teams communicate with children and adolescents about these concepts.

The Essential Skills for Becoming a Today’s Automotive Vocational Teacher: Focus Group Interview Study

Vocational education, as a kind of education, has an important role not only for people to get a job but also for nations to grow their national economy. Vocational teachers, especially, are the keys to the success of vocational education, so the competencies required to become such teachers are crucial issues that need attention. This study aims to explore the most needed and recent competencies that an automotive vocational teacher needs to master to survive in career life. A Focus Group Interview (FGI) study with two main questions was used to collect data from 6 participants consisting of 3 automotive vocational teachers and three automotive industrial instructors. The interview was recorded, and the data was analyzed qualitatively. The findings stated that the ability to conduct sustainable learning or lifelong learning becomes the most essential competency that automotive vocational teachers need to have. Additionally, there is a suggestion to automotive vocational teacher education institutions to conduct instructional design of learning activities that could promote the abilities of sustainable learning for the students. This is necessary because automotive technology is developing very quickly, so vocational education should deal with that phenomenon by preparing qualified automotive vocational teacher candidates who can conduct sustainable learning or lifelong learning effectively.

Supporting stoma patients’ self-efficacy with a mobile application - a focus group interview study

Background Being able to care for and cope with one’s stoma adequately may significantly impact patient’s wellbeing. A well-designed mobile application (app) may improve and solve some of the difficulties patients encounter. This study aims to gain a better understanding of the problems patients face in ostomy care and to determine how to improve these problems by an app. Method A qualitative study using six focus group interviews was conducted between March and April 2020. Patients with a stoma, representatives of patient associations and stoma-related healthcare providers participated to provide insights. A thematic content analysis method was used to analyse the transcripts. Results Participants indicated that perioperative information could be improved, information should be applicable for all patients and the amount of stoma materials to be overwhelming. Moreover, the contact with fellow peers could be utilised more and it was unclear which healthcare provider should be contacted. All participants expected an app would be beneficial. The app should provide reliable and up-to-date information which is presented in a visually attractive manner, and facilitate peer contact in which patients can support each other. Conclusion Adequate self-care and coping is essential for patients’ quality of life. A personalised, mobile app may be promising to overcome some of the problems related to adequate self-provision of stoma care at home, improving self-efficacy and overall well-being.

“Sometimes I Get So Extremely Tired”: Sámi Healthcare Staff Experiences of Cultural Load in Practice

The study aim was to explore how Sámi healthcare staff experience working as an ethnic minority in the Norwegian healthcare system. This was a qualitative focus group and individual interview study inspired by interpretive description, with 14 participants. The results indicate that Sámi healthcare staff experience various degrees of cultural load in their jobs. This was shown through the two themes: “Feeling responsible for Sámi patients and non-Sámi colleagues” and “Feeling exhausted as a Sámi healthcare worker.” To provide culturally safe care for all Sámi patients and their families, it is vital to ensure the well-being of the small number of Sámi healthcare personnel. Therefore, we emphasize the need for training programs for non-Sámi healthcare staff to provide them with the knowledge needed to support their encounters with Sámi patients in culturally safe ways. Sámi healthcare staff cannot take all responsibility for teaching their non-Sámi colleagues and acting as cultural mediators in all situations that non-Sámi staff find challenging. The risk of cultural load and burnout is very present. Nursing departments in universities and leaders in primary and secondary healthcare need to address these issues in order to ensure culturally safe care to all patients and support Sámi healthcare staff.

Making space for singing in the 21st century classroom – A focus group interview study with primary school music teachers in Sweden

AbstractThe present study aimed to increase understanding of how singing activities may be initiated in primary school, and what support and assistance teachers require to conduct singing activities as an integrated part of the school day. Five music teachers participated in a focus group interview. The following main themes were identified: 1) pedagogical and methodological flexibility, 2) the role of routines and familiarity, 3) the embodied and multimodal dimensions of singing, 4) the importance of accompaniment and instruments, 5) the experience of insecurity and obstacles and 6) the perceived synergies between singing and other learning activities. This knowledge may be important to integrate within music teacher education in order to secure singing’s place in schools.

Investigation on status and needs of pharmacy intravenous admixture service (PIVAS) personnel training: A qualitative focus group interview study.

This study aimed to investigate the status and the needs of personnel training in pharmacy intravenous admixture service (PIVAS) and provide a reference for the comprehensive training of pharmacists in PIVAS in China. A total of 21 pharmacists from PIVAS of West China Hospital, Sichuan University and West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University were selected by purposive sampling to conduct 3 rounds of focus group interviews, and the Colaizzi phenomenological method was used for qualitative analysis. The personnel training in PIVAS is mainly on practical skills for daily work but rarely on comprehensive quality, adopting centralized lectures and regular assessment while lacking in individualized training. The needs of staff focus on career development, which was settled through improving comprehensive ability in training, especially scientific research ability, for solving problems in daily work and obtaining corresponding outputs. PIVAS personnel training should pay more attention to comprehensive quality and scientific research ability, and establish an individualized, refined, and specialized training system to meet the needs of talent development and improve the quality of pharmacy services.

Data Governance Practices Unveiled: Insights from Multiple Data Collection Approaches

ABSTRACTThe poster discusses varying data collection approaches in investigation of an organization's data governance practice of a single case study. The aim is to promote transparency in data governance practice on a case‐by‐case basis and to unveil the circumstances of adapting approaches in data collecting. Four distinct data collecting approaches were utilized in this study, each tailored to diverse needs and scenarios, including group interview, design‐thinking workshop, semi‐structured interview and field study. Clarifying the rationale of taking certain approaches, the research team aims for providing the benchmark for future data governance research.

Claims in the clinic: A qualitative group interview study on healthcare communication about unestablished side effects of the copper IUD.

Lay online communication about health-related issues has in recent years largely been associated with the spread of misinformation and decreased trust in healthcare. Such communication has included claims about systemic side effects of the copper IUD. In Sweden, a social media group centered on this issue now gathers around 8,700 members. This study aimed to use the case of reported yet unestablished side effects of the copper IUD to investigate experiences of and reasoning about healthcare encounters between caregivers and patients contesting established medical knowledge. We conducted qualitative, semi-structured, digital group interviews with members of the social media group (seven groups, n = 23) and with midwives and gynecologists (six groups, n = 15). We also gathered essays written by social media group members (n = 23). The material was analyzed thematically. The participant accounts pointed towards tensions related to principles of evidence-based medicine, i.e., perceived insufficiency of research on the safety of the copper IUD and lack of clarity in routines for reporting and following up suspected side effects, and of patient-centered care, i.e., listening respectfully to patients. Tension between caregivers' obligation to adhere to evidence-based medicine while also providing patient-centered care was noted. Healthcare providers' efforts to assess and address patient claims contesting established medical knowledge should include ensuring and communicating sufficient research, clarifying procedures for reporting suspected side effects, and improving person-centered care. This can increase the quality of care while contributing to the mitigation of distrust in healthcare and the spreading of health-related misinformation.

How do non-specific back pain patients think about their adherence to physiotherapy, and what strategies do physiotherapists use to facilitate adherence? A focus group interview study

ABSTRACT Background Long-term effectiveness of physiotherapy (PT) for low back pain (LBP) depends on the adherence of patients. Objectives: (1) Identify aspects associated with the adherence of patients with LBP to physiotherapy, and (2) identify factors to facilitate adherence of patients with LBP to PT. Method Focus group interviews were conducted with 10 patients with LBP (n = 10, 5 women) and 11 physiotherapists (5 women) from Germany and Switzerland, treating patients with LBP. Data analysis was based on structured content analysis. Deductive and inductive categories were identified and coded. Results Patients with LBP requested more and effective home programs, long-term rehabilitation management, and individualized therapy to achieve a higher level of adherence. Physiotherapists requested more time for patient education. Communication, quality of the therapist-patient relationship, and individualized therapy were identified as essential factors by both representatives. Conclusion Patients and physiotherapists identified aspects contributing to adherence. These may guide the development of multidimensional measurement tools for adherence. In addition, this information can be used to develop PT approaches to facilitate the level of adherence.

Patient-reported outcomes in clinical HIV care: protocol for a single-centre, multistage, mixed-methods study in Denmark

IntroductionPeople with HIV-1 (PWH) have worse health-related quality of life (HRQoL) compared with the general population. Using patient-reported outcomes (PROs) may help reorient the focus of HIV care towards improving...

Understanding the impact of tuberous sclerosis complex: development and validation of the TSC-PROM

BackgroundTuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is a rare and complex genetic disorder, associated with tumor growth in various organ systems, epilepsy, and a range of neuropsychiatric manifestations including intellectual disability. With improving patient-centered care and targeted therapies, patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are needed to measure the impact of TSC manifestations on daily functioning. The aim of this study was to develop a TSC-specific PROM for adults that captures the impact of TSC on physical functions, mental functions, activity and participation, and the social support individuals with TSC receive, called the TSC-PROM.MethodsCOSMIN methodology was used to develop a self-reported and proxy-reported version. Development and validation consisted of the following studies: PROM development, content validity, structural validity, internal consistency, and construct validity. The International Classification of Functioning and Disability was used as a framework. Content validity was examined by a multidisciplinary expert group and cognitive interview study. Structural and construct validity, and internal consistency were examined in a large cohort, using confirmatory factor analysis, hypotheses testing, and Cronbach’s alpha.ResultsThe study resulted in an 82-item self version and 75-item proxy version of the TSC-PROM with four subscales (physical functions 18 and 19 items, mental functions 37 and 28 items, activities and participation 13 and 14 items, social support 13 items, for self version and proxy version respectively). Sufficient results were found for structural validity with sufficient unidimensionality for each subscale. With regard to construct validity, 82% of the hypotheses were met for the self version and 59% for the proxy version. The PROM showed good internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha 0.78–0.97).ConclusionsWe developed a PROM for adults with TSC, named TSC-PROM, showing sufficient evidence for reliability and validity that can be used in clinical and research settings to systematically gain insight into their experiences. It is the first PROM in TSC that addresses the impact of specific TSC manifestations on functioning, providing a valuable, patient-centered addition to the current clinical outcomes.

Bedside nurses' perspective on the Fundamentals of Care framework and its application in clinical practice: A multi-site focus group interview study

BackgroundA changing nursing workforce and an increase in demands for care together with more complex care, raise arguments that leading and guiding nursing practice is more challenging than ever. Therefore, nurses need to have a shared agenda and a common language to show the importance of nursing care and the consequences of not addressing this in an appropriate way. In response to this the Fundamentals of Care framework was developed to also contribute to the delivery of person-centred care in an integrated way. However, to gain acceptance and applicability we need to ensure the framework's relevance to clinical practice from bedside nurses' perspectives. ObjectiveTo describe bedside nurses' perspectives on the Fundamentals of Care framework and how it can be applied in clinical practice. DesignA descriptive qualitative design informed by the Fundamentals of Care framework. Setting(s)The study was undertaken at seven hospitals in Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands during 2019. ParticipantsA total sample of 53 registered nurses working at the bedside participated. Participants had a wide variety of clinical experience and represented a range of different nursing practice areas. MethodsTwelve focus group interviews were used to collect data and analysed with a deductive content analysis approach. ResultsBedside nurses perceived that the Fundamentals of Care framework was adequate, easy to understand and recognised as representative for the core of nursing care. The definition for fundamental care covered many aspects of nursing care, but was also perceived as too general and too idealistic in relation to the registered nurses' work. The participants recognised the elements within the framework, but appeared not to be using this to articulate their practice. Three main categories emerged for implications for clinical practice; guiding reflection on one's work; ensuring person-centred fundamental care and reinforcing nursing leadership. ConclusionsThe Fundamentals of Care framework is perceived by bedside nurses as a modern framework describing the core of nursing. The framework was recognised as having clinical relevance and provides bedside nurses with a common language to articulate the complexity of nursing practice. This knowledge is crucial for bedside nurses both in clinical practice and in leadership roles to be able to speak up for the need to integrate all dimensions of care to achieve person-centred fundamental care. Various activities for reflection, person-centred care and leadership to apply the framework in clinical practice were presented, together with minor suggestions for development of the framework. Tweetable abstractBedside nurses recognise their clinical practice within the Fundamentals of Care framework, showing the core of modern nursing.

Nurses' Experiences With Anal Dilatations in Babies With Anorectal Malformations – A Focus Group Interview Study

Aims and objectivesTo explore nurses' experiences with anal dilatations in babies with anorectal malformations. BackgroundMost babies with anorectal malformations require repeated anal dilatations, either before and/or after reconstructive surgery. Anal dilatation is usually performed without sedation or pain medication. Nurses participate in anal dilatations by assisting doctors doing anal dilatation, doing anal dilatation themselves, and instructing parents how to do anal dilatations. No previous studies have explored how nurses experience being involved in anal dilatations. DesignQualitative study design utilizing focus group interviews. The COREQ guidelines were applied. MethodsNurses with either ≤2 or ≥10 years' working experience participated in two different focus group interviews. The focus group interviews were transcribed and analyzed with content analysis. ResultsTwelve nurses, two males, participated. Three main themes emerged from the focus group interviews. The first main theme, “Anal dilatation causes distress”, describes the nurses' worries about causing physical and/or psychological harm when doing anal dilatations. The second main theme, “Need for guidelines and training”, contains nurses' recommendations for more theoretical training in addition to written guidelines on anal dilatations. The third main theme, “Collegial support is vital”, describes nurses' needs and strategies for coping with difficult situations related to anal dilatations. ConclusionsAnal dilatation causes distress in nurses, and collegial support is essential for coping. Guidelines and systematic training are recommended to improve current practice. Level of EvidenceVI.

Health Care Workers' Expectations of the Mercury Advance SMARTcare Solution to Prevent Pressure Injuries: Individual and Focus Group Interview Study.

The transformation in global demography and the shortage of health care workers require innovation and efficiency in the field of health care. Digital technology can help improve the efficiency of health care. The Mercury Advance SMARTcare solution is an example of digital technology. The system is connected to a hybrid mattress and is able to detect patient movement, based on which the air pump either starts automatically or sends a notification to the app. Barriers to the adoption of the system are unknown, and it is unclear if the solution will be able to support health care workers in their work. This study aims to gain insight into health care workers' expectations of factors that could either hamper or support the adoption of the Mercury Advance SMARTcare unit connected to a Mercury Advance mattress to help prevent patients from developing pressure injuries in hospitals and long-term care facilities. We conducted a generic qualitative study from February to December 2022. Interviews were conducted, and a focus group was established using an interview guide of health care workers from both the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. Thematic analysis was performed by 2 independent researchers. A total of 14 participants took part in the study: 6 (43%) participants joined the focus group, and 8 (57%) participants took part in the individual interviews. We identified 13 factors based on four themes: (1) factors specifically related to SMARTresponse, (2) vision on innovation, (3) match with health care activities, and (4) materials and resources involved. Signaling function, SMARTresponse as prevention, patient category, representatives, and implementation strategy were identified as facilitators. Perception of patient repositioning, accessibility to pressure injury aids, and connectivity were identified as barriers. Several conditions must be met to enhance the adoption of the Mercury Advance SMARTcare solution, including the engagement of representatives during training and a reliable wireless network. The identified factors can be used to facilitate the implementation process.

In situ simulation-based team training and its significance for transfer of learning to clinical practice—A qualitative focus group interview study of anaesthesia personnel

BackgroundAnaesthesia personnel are an integral part of an interprofessional operating room-team; hence, team-based training in non-technical skills (NTS) are important in preventing adverse events. Quite a few studies have been done on interprofessional in situ simulation-based team training (SBTT). However, research on anaesthesia personnel’s experiences and the significance for transfer of learning to clinical practice is limited. The aim of this study is to explore anaesthesia personnel’s experience from interprofessional in situ SBTT in NTS and its significance for transfer of learning to clinical practice.MethodsFollow-up focus group interviews with anaesthesia personnel, who had taken part in interprofessional in situ SBTT were conducted. A qualitative inductive content analysis was performed.ResultsAnaesthesia personnel experienced that interprofessional in situ SBTT motivated transfer of learning and provided the opportunity to be aware of own practice regarding NTS and teamwork. One main category, ‘interprofessional in situ SBTT as a contributor to enhance anaesthesia practice’ and three generic categories, ‘interprofessional in situ SBTT motivates learning and improves NTS’, ‘realism in SBTT is important for learning outcome’, and ‘SBTT increases the awareness of teamwork’ illustrated their experiences.ConclusionsParticipants in the interprofessional in situ SBTT gained experiences in coping with emotions and demanding situations, which could be significant for transfer of learning essential for clinical practice. Herein communication and decision-making were highlighted as important learning objectives. Furthermore, participants emphasized the importance of realism and fidelity and debriefing in the learning design.

Can academic detailing reduce opioid prescriptions in chronic non-cancer pain?

BackgroundOne measure to support optimal opioid prescription is academic detailing (AD) with one-to-one visits by trained professionals (academic detailers) to general practitioners (GPs).Objective: To investigate the usefulness of AD visits on GPs’ opioid prescribing patterns in Norway, and academic detailers’ experiences with AD visits to GPs on opioid prescription.MethodsDesign: A quantitative registry study on opioid prescriptions and a qualitative focus group interview study with academic detailers.Participants: For the registry study, municipalities where more than 75% of the GPs had received an AD visit were considered intervention municipalities, whereas in the non-intervention municipalities no GPs had received AD-visits. In the focus groups, academic detailers who had conducted three or more AD-visits were invited to participate.Intervention: A campaign on opioid prescription with AD visits using a brochure with key messages based on the national guideline for treatment of chronic non-cancer pain and updated evidence on the potential benefits and risks of prescribing opioids. The AD visits in the campaign were planned for 20–25 min in a one-to-one setting in the GP’s office.Main Measures: The Norwegian Prescription Database (NorPD) was utilized for registry data. Data on amount of drugs dispensed are recoded as Defined Daily Doses (DDDs).ResultsCompared to non-intervention, the intervention resulted in a decrease in the number of prevalent and incident users of opioids and incident users of reimbursed opioids for chronic non-cancer pain in municipalities in Central Norway. The results from the focus group interviews were categorized into the themes: “To get in position”, “Adjusting messages”, “What did the GPs struggle with, in relation to opioid prescription?” and “Did we reach the right recipients with the visits?”.ConclusionsIn Central Norway, the intervention resulted in a desired effect on number of opioid users. According to the academic detailers, the GPs’ length of working experience and familiarity with the topic gave different presumptions for making use of the information presented in the AD-visits.

Pradinių klasių mokytojų, taikančių STEAM ugdymo metodą, patirtys integruoto-holistinio kompetencijų lygmens požiūriu

After analysing literature sources, the article discusses the STEAM educational approach and its application in primary education. The concept of teachers’ competencies and the significance, structure, and levels of integrated and holistic competencies are analysed. The guidelines for training primary school teachers, the importance of cooperation of higher education institutions with practitioners applying the STEAM educational approach, and the relevance of curriculum improvement are discussed. 18 Lithuanian and foreign educators using the STEAM educational approach participated in a scientific focus group interview study. Having obtained the content analysis data, teachers’ experiences were analysed, and competencies were identified. Educators’ competencies were analysed based on the STEAM fields: science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics. The applicability of the STEAM areas in the educational process and other experiences of using the STEAM educational approach were identified. Using content analysis, the following categories were identified: the STEAM activities in education institutions (23 statements), General competencies in the STEAM (17 statements), Subject-specific competencies in the STEAM (11 statements), Most needed competencies (8 statements), Use of science in the STEAM (17 statements), Use of technology in the STEAM (21 statements), Use of Engineering in the STEAM (11 statements), Use of Arts and Culture in the STEAM (19 statements), Use of Mathematics in the STEAM (16 statements). The discussion of the participants in the study focuses on the following main sub-categories: Information Technology (11 statements), Creativity (9 statements), Application of knowledge in mathematics (7 statements), Project development (5 statements), Practical research (5 statements), Sharing of best practices (5 statements), New technologies and information management (4 statements), Design and construction (11 statements), Painting/Drawing (6 statements), Playing music (5 statements), and Data processing (6 statements). These main sub-categories reveal primary teachers’ competencies when applying STEAM education in their work. Creativity competence took a special place in the analysis of competencies. It is analysed in the article from integral, multifunctional, and holistic perspectives.

Facilitating factors for seeking help for mental health problems among Norwegian adolescent males: A focus group interview study.

Young males are overrepresented in suicide statistics and underrepresented in statistics of help-seeking and receiving help from formal health services compared with young females. Few studies have examined facilitating factors for help-seeking among adolescent males with no previous experience seeking mental health help. This study aimed to explore thoughts, attitudes, and experiences regarding facilitating factors toward formal help-seeking for mental health problems among Norwegian adolescent males. Three focus group interviews were conducted, each including four adolescent males with no experience with help-seeking or receiving help from a help service for mental health problems. The interviews addressed topics such as barriers and facilitating factors for help-seeking and preferences regarding structural factors and modes of delivery of help. Data were analyzed according to the systematic text condensation method. The analysis revealed three main categories of facilitating factors: (1) transparent information and available help services, (2) proactive and outreaching help services, and (3) the possibility for discreet help-seeking. Improving help-seeking is integral to accessing care and improving mental health. Help services can be more accessible and approachable for male adolescents if they offer discretion, the possibility to remain anonymous, the option to receive help in a convenient context, and outreach services.

Investigating burn-out contributors and mitigators among intensive care unit nurses during COVID-19: a focus group interview study

ObjectivePast literature establishes high prevalence of burn-out among intensive care unit (ICU) nurses, and the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic in intensifying burn-out. However, the specific pandemic-related contributors and practical...