Group interviews in primary care research: advancing the state of the art or ritualized research?
BACKGROUND
Focus groups have become an important data gathering technique in primary care research.


OBJECTIVE
This study provides an integrated review of recent articles that used focus groups as a data collection method to gather information from family physicians.


METHODS
Medline was searched for articles that used focus groups with family physicians in a North American setting during the 1990s. Articles that met this criteria were critically evaluated to determine who participated, the number of groups conducted, setting, length, inclusion and exclusion criteria, sampling technique and whether the groups were used as part of a larger study.


RESULTS
The twenty articles discussed herein revealed tremendous variation in how focus group research is conducted and reported.


CONCLUSIONS
Focus group research is a popular form of qualitative research in primary care research. Journals reporting qualitative research should require that certain basic information be present, thereby advancing the state of the art and permitting readers to better evaluate these articles.
Twohig
Peter L
PL
Dalhousie University Department of Family Medicine, Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre, Abbie J. Lane Building, 8th Floor, 5909 Veteran's Memorial Way, Halifax, NS B3H 2E2, Canada.
Putnam
Wayne
W
D002170:Canada; D015987:Effect Modifier, Epidemiologic; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D011320:Primary Health Care; D012107:Research Design; D014481:United States