Open AccessInnovations in Research with Medically Fragile Populations: Using Bulletin Board Focus Groups
Author(s) -
Karen Cook,
Susan M. Jack,
Harold Siden,
Lehana Thabane,
Gina Browne
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
the qualitative report
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2160-3715
DOI - 10.46743/2160-3715/2014.1000
Subject(s) - focus group , psychology , intervention (counseling) , population , medical education , bulletin board , gerontology , medicine , sociology , computer science , environmental health , anthropology , psychiatry , operating system
A new group of medically fragile young adults are graduating from pediatric palliative care programs with limited expectations to live beyond early adulthood, and no comparable adult services to support their complex needs. Accessing this population is difficult because of the complexity of their conditions, the extensive personal and equipment supports that limit feasibility for travel, and divergent communication abilities. Therefore, we undertook a descriptive case study using an asynchronous modification of an online focus group, a bulletin board focus group (BBFG). The greatest strengths of the BBFG are the appeal of this methodology for young adults and the multi day focus group becomes both a community and an intervention. An important limitation of this method was participant follow through on discussion threads. This BBFG provided rich and varied types of data, and very positive participant experiences.