Paper Summary
Paperzilla title
Doctors Zooming In: How to Run Focus Groups From Your Couch (and Maybe Your Pajamas)
This paper provides practical strategies for conducting remote focus groups using video conferencing platforms, particularly in the context of social distancing. The authors share their experiences and recommendations, addressing recruitment, session management, and technical aspects, based on their work with internal medicine residents. The paper highlights the need for careful planning, technical preparation, and participant engagement strategies in remote qualitative research.
Possible Conflicts of Interest
None identified
Identified Weaknesses
The article is limited in its scope, focusing solely on the experience of conducting remote focus groups with internal medicine residents at three academic medical centers. The findings might not be generalizable to other healthcare professional groups or research settings.
Insufficient exploration of the Hawthorne effect in remote settings
While the authors mention the potential impact of the Hawthorne effect, they do not address it thoroughly. The effect of being observed remotely (via video) on participant behavior is not well-explored, and the implications of multitasking/split attention during remote sessions require further investigation.
Limited discussion of data analysis
The study primarily focuses on the practical aspects of conducting remote focus groups and does not delve deeply into the methodological rigor of qualitative data analysis in the remote context. While the authors acknowledge the potential benefits of video recordings for analysis, they don't elaborate on the specific analytical techniques or challenges involved in handling such data.
Rating Explanation
This paper offers valuable practical guidance for conducting remote focus groups in healthcare research, addressing important considerations for recruitment, session management, and technical aspects. While the focus is specific to videoconferencing and internal medicine residents, the recommendations can be broadly applicable to other settings. The limitations regarding generalizability and in-depth methodological discussion prevent a 5-star rating.
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File Information
Original Title:
Zooming into Focus Groups: Strategies for Qualitative Research in the Era of Social Distancing
Uploaded:
July 14, 2025 at 06:46 AM
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