ArticleBMC research notes2023
Synchronous online focus groups in health research: application and further development of methodology based on experiences from two mixed-methods research projects.
Article in BMC research notes, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 17 citations in OpenAlex.
- Digital focus groups in healthcare interventions: A reflexive methodological analysis of how socio-technical and relational factors co-produce qualitative data.BMC medical research methodology · 2026Article
- Advocacy in Public Health Curricula: Exploring Gaps and Identifying Strategies for Strengthening Teaching Public Health Advocacy.Health promotion journal of Australia : official journal of Australian Association of Health Promotion Professionals · 2026Article
- Development and initial content and face validation of a questionnaire to evaluate pharmacists' attitudes and practices in counselling urinary tract infection patients: A mixed methods study.Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy · 2026Article
- "I'm a paper and pencil person": a qualitative descriptive study of potential barriers and facilitators to engagement with pre-operative total knee replacement education and prehabilitation digital interventions.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2025Article
- 'Balancing Challenges and Personal Resources': A Qualitative Study of Women's Experiences of Arm Impairment After Axillary Surgery for Breast Cancer.Journal of advanced nursing · 2025Article
- The research relationship: participant perspectives on consent in biobanking.BMC medical ethics · 2025Article
- Translating and communicating evidence on allergy prevention in children to parents: implementation study protocol.Archives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique · 2025Article
- Recruiting participants for focus groups in health research: a meta-research study.BMC medical research methodology · 2025Article
- Stakeholders' Perspective on the Key Features of Printed Educational Resources to Improve the Quality of Clinical Communication.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- How do parents access, appraise, and apply health information on early childhood allergy prevention? A focus group and interview study.Frontiers in public health · 2023Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
13 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesFocus groups used for data collection in health research are increasingly conducted online. In two multi-center health research projects, we applied available methodological instructions for synchronous online focus groups (SOFGs). We describe necessary changes and specifications regarding the planning (recruitment, technology, ethics, appointments) and conduct (group composition, moderation, interaction, didactics) to enhance knowledge about the planning and conduct of SOFGs.
resultsRecruiting online proved to be challenging and necessitated direct and analogue recruiting, too. To ensure participation, less digital and more individual formats may be offered, e.g. telephone calls. Explaining verbally the specifics of data protection and anonymity in an online setting can foster participants' confidence to actively engage in the discussion. Two moderators, one moderating, one supporting technically, are advisable in SOFGs, however, due to limited nonverbal communication, roles and tasks need to be defined beforehand. Participant interaction is central to focus groups in general, but sometimes difficult to achieve online. Hence, smaller group size, sharing of personal information and moderators increased attention to individual reactions appeared helpful. Lastly, digital tools such as surveys and breakout rooms should be used with caution, as they easily inhibit interaction.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.