Focus Groups in a Medicine-Dominated Field: Compromises or Quality Improvements?

Abstract

Mammography screening has traditionally been viewed as a field for medical research. The medical science discourse, however, is highly quantitative, and its claims for validity somewhat opposed to those of qualitative research. To communicate research in a cross-disciplinary field, it is necessary to adapt one's research to several paradigms. The authors conducted focus group interviews with women due to be screened in a national breast cancer screening program. Their prospective design, both strategic and random sampling, and free discussions during focus groups are all questions of satisfying a medical science discourse in the frames of qualitative research. Focus group research showed itself adaptable through the data collection phase in a crossdisciplinary research project on mammography screening.

Challenges of informed choice in organised screening

“…Through focus groups, we studied the variety of experiences which were revealed through group discussions 27 28. A prospective design was chosen in order to explore the women’s experiences as they developed.…”

Feeding Difficulties Associated with IBD during the Working Day: Qualitative Study, Alicante Spain

“…Moreover, if the study group is heterogeneous, qualitative methodology will accurately capture the results of different experiences and points of view of the object of study. The main field of application of these qualitative techniques is the examination of social phenomena in their natural environment [ 17 , 18 ]. Therefore, qualitative methodology is the methodology for the purpose of this study, as it best illustrates the process of understanding [ 19 ].…”

“…There is not a standard approach to qualitative research based on a constructivist approach [ 20 ]. The techniques chosen for this study were Nominal Group (NG) [ 21 , 22 ] and Focus Groups (FG) [ 17 , 23 ], which are part of qualitative research.…”