title: Focus group interviews in nursing research: part 1.
abstract: Focus groups are used by researchers in the social and behavioural sciences to explore phenomena and are accepted as a legitimate qualitative methodology. The primary goal of focus groups is to use interaction data resulting from discussion among participants to increase the depth of the enquiry and reveal aspects of the phenomenon assumed to be otherwise less accessible. This article, the first of three articles on focus groups, examines the nature of focus groups, issues regarding planning focus groups, selecting participants and the size of the groups. This article is aimed at students who are undertaking research modules as part of their academic studies or writing a research proposal as well as at novice researchers who intend to use focus groups as a means of data collection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland.
authors.forename: Owen
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Doody
authors.forename: Eamonn
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Slevin
authors.forename: Laurence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Taggart
mesh_terms: D017144:Focus Groups; D015399:Nursing Research; D006113:United Kingdom