Table 1 Benefits and Limitations of Internet based Focus Groups
| Â | Potential Benefits | Potential Limitations |
|---|---|---|
Recruitment and Scheduling | - Wide geographical recruitment allows access to socially or geographically isolated participants and the inclusion of persons with uncommon concerns - Internet-based recruitment sources (clinical databases, advocacy associations, and on-line support groups) permit rapid enrollment - Recruitment is made easier by flexible participation requirements (times, locations and travel) - Typing speed is not essential, as participants type at their own pace | - Limited computer experience or access can restrict participation, leading to age or socio-economic sampling bias - The identity of participants cannot be easily verified - Technical requirements of the IFG application for specific browser software may limit participation and should be assessed at screening - Respondents with certain medical conditions or inpatient treatment settings may not be able to participate |
Facilitator Role as IFG Moderator | - Email eases the communication between focus group facilitators and participants (directives, reminders, and follow-ups) - Software management functions monitor the IFG sessions (on-line tracking of activities and participation levels) - Polling functions allow facilitators to sample opinions and use these results within IFG sessions - Reference libraries store surveys and multimedia files or historical documentation for use as later reference materials and within the IFG sessions themselves | - Facilitators may spend more time on-line than for an equivalent series of face-to-face focus groups |
Participant Responses | - Perceptions of anonymity allow for greater comfort when discussing sensitive issues - Responses are less redundant since respondents can read and consider the ideas of others before replying. - Participants can take their time when responding to questions, leading to considered responses and high-quality data - 'Emoticons' and customizable text message formats can be used to express feeling or act in place of non-verbal cues | - Redundant information may be generated if the lines of questioning in the Topic Guide are too general or vague - Reduced opportunity to refine or clarify responses may result in the use of leading or restrictive lines of inquiry |
Facilitator Role as Co-investigator | - Facilitators' professional role can be expanded to include thematic research activities, including content analysis of IFG responses - Session transcripts are immediately available and permit drill-down comparison of phraseology and evaluation of topical content - Poll and survey results can be used to examine qualitative and thematic differences by participant characteristics and opinions - Multi-cultural implementations of IFGs allow bilingual facilitators to participate in parallel cross-cultural development activities based on their great familiarity with the concerns and issues expressed by participants within the sessions | - More time and care is required to formulate questions and probes to be used in the Topic Guide - Moderator training may be required on such qualitative topics as; 'Grounded Theory' and thematic content analyses - Preparation and modification of thematic coding schedules require a clear (but modifiable) conceptual framework and consistent coding practice. For some applications, evaluation of the degree of agreement between coders may be required (inter-rater reliability) |
Time & Costs of Project Execution | - Costs associated with collection and content analysis of IFG responses are less than one-on-one interviewing - On-line transcripts and use of automated thematic coding functions organize thematic analyses and generation of thematic frequency counts - No additional costs are associated with conducting IFGs that cover wide geographical areas - There are no moderator and client travel expenses | - Reimbursement costs to IFG participants may be higher than traditional focus groups due to the increased time spent on-line - Greater facilitator costs are likely due to a major role expansion and increased facilitator involvement [70], which are off-set by reduced transcription and project management costs |