Focus Group Facilitator Training. 1.Welcome 2.Role of Peer Health Educators 3.Focus Groups a.What is...

Focus Group Facilitator Training

1. Welcome2. Role of Peer Health Educators3. Focus Groups

a. What is a Focus Group?

b. Types of Focus Groups

c. How to Organize a Focus Group

d. How to Facilitate a Focus Group

4. Review Focus Group Questionnaire

5. Practice6. Conclusion and Next Steps

Today’s Agenda

Source of information of each community

Advocacy for each community

Passion for and interest in health promotion (promotion of healthy behaviors)

Being a role model

Role of Peer Health Educators

Help to prepare and organize focus groups

Facilitate focus groups

Help to develop an educational model to be adapted for each immigrant population

Deliver education modules

Implement the education model to target communities

Role of Peer Health Educators

A focus group interview is an interview with a small group of people on a specific topic (Patton, 2002).

Focus groups are typically semi-structured to allow participants to discuss their perceptions and experiences with others in the group.

Generally small to allow all participants enough time to talk and deal with topics in-depth (not possible through a survey).

Collects in-depth information from a group of people who represent the population of interest

Sometimes groups are audio taped and/or notes recorded by hand to ensure all opinions/input are captured

What is a Focus Group?

A focus group is NOT a: Brainstorming session Team building session Project meeting Consensus-building session

It is a facilitated focused discussion guided by questions

It is an opportunity for participants to share their views

What is a Focus Group?

Focus Group Phases

Phase 1Barriers/knowledge

Phase 2Education Modules

Phase 3Working with communities

Mobilizing Newcomers and Immigrants to

Cancer Screening Programs

Focus Group Process

Review Material

Be Ready

Focus Group

Meeting

Post Meeting Debriefin

g

London Intercommunity Health Centre and/or

Each Peer Health Educator

Provide a contact list of possible participants

7 – 10 days before F0cus Group, PHE will contact them to invite to the focus group

2-3 days before Focus Group, PHE confirm their attendance

How to Organize a Focus Group

Materials for facilitators

Questionnaire

Consent forms

Digital recorder

Markers, pens, notepad

Travel vouchers/honoraria (if needed)

Food/Refreshments (water, snacks)



Time and location:

Consider the time of day/day of the week that will be easiest for participants to attend your focus group (daytime or evening during the week, on a weekend).

Find a suitable location, perhaps one that is familiar to people in the community, or centrally located with easy transportation access and parking


Setting up the Focus Group:

Arrive 30 minutes early to make sure the room is set up, flip chart is available

Set up refreshments

Welcome participants as they arrive


Setting up the Focus Group:

Use a room with few distractions, in an area where you are unlikely to be interrupted

Sitting around a table may be more comfortable for many people, although people may share more openly if they simply sit in a circle without a table

Name tags can sometimes help - at least, the interviewer should know everyone’s name

How to Facilitate a Focus Group

Role of the facilitator:

S/he needs to be familiar with the questions

S/he needs to be welcoming and should make participants feel comfortable

S/he must listen, clarify, and reflect back what people say

S/he must summarize what is said and validate people’s experiences

S/he needs to ensure that everyone has a chance to speak


Role of the facilitator:

S/he needs to keep participants updated on time, prioritize questions if time is running short, and ask whether people want to devote extra time to a topic

S/he needs to remind participants about the importance of maintaining confidentiality and respecting everyone’s right to voice their views

S/he needs to try to cover all the topics

Role of Assistant Facilitator/Note-Taker:

Hand out and collect consent forms

Help participants with consent forms

Responsible for audio equipment (tapes)

Take detailed notes during discussion

Distribute payment to participants at end

Review focus group results with facilitator after participants leave


Guiding principles for Researchers:

Do no harm to participants, staff, and other people involved in or affected by the research process

Give opportunities for individuals to fully express themselves and capture their true meaning

Listen to the research participants. Listening is more than simply hearing -- it may mean "being with" and "getting to know" the experiences that people live through

Be sensitive to power relations among different stakeholders


Ethical Considerations:Confidentiality and Privacy The name of a participant should never be written on

the summary notes or any other documentation of the assessment

All information you gather must never be discussed or repeated with anyone else

Focus groups should be held at a place where all participants feel comfortable. This location should allow for a private, uninterrupted conversation

All information that you collect should never be seen by anyone else or be left unattended


Ethical Considerations:Informed ConsentIn order to make an informed choice, potential participants must understand the research project, how they are involved in the research project, and what sort of risks it poses to them.

An informed consent form/information letter has two purposes:

to enable potential research participants to make an informed choice as to their participation in a project

to document their decision to participate


Ethical Considerations:Informed Consent

Freedom to Refuse When reviewing the consent form with the participant, you indicate to

the participant that they have the freedom to refuse to participate and that their participation is completely voluntary

Unexpected effects You prevent negative effects on participants by providing them with the

option to not answer questions that make them uncomfortable and asking them to inform you if they are beginning to feel uncomfortable

Disclosure of illegal activity If a participant discloses abuse or other illegal activity, you should

respond by notifying the project coordinator. In these circumstances, we are required by law to report this information



Before you start:

Become familiar and comfortable with the protocol/interview questions

Remember that the first impression is important (your appearance and professional attitude towards the work are essential in setting the tone of the discussion)

As you begin:

Introduce yourself (and co-facilitator) and describe how you became involved in the study

Explain the confidentiality arrangements and have each participant read and sign the consent form before starting the focus group discussion


You may set ground rules:

Helps the facilitator set the tone of the discussion

Builds on principle of trust, respect and good manners

Can help get the discussion back on topic and stay on time by simply referring to ground rules as needed


Ground Rules Activity

As you begin:

Talk about the purpose of the discussion

Set rules for discussion (e.g. agree to disagree, respect for all, listening to others, time)

Ask their permission to record the interview, or take notes

Tell them about the duration of the focus group


During the focus group:

Use active listening skills

Using clarifying questions with short examples from your own experience may help people feel more comfortable

Use probes to get more detailed information or to remind participants of another aspect of the question

How to facilitate a Focus Group

During the focus group:

Encourage people to describe their own experiences specifically instead of speaking in general terms

If you feel that someone is uncomfortable, let them know that they may choose not to respond

Remind participants that there is no "right" or "wrong" answer


Probing Activity

At the end of the focus group:

Ask people whether there is anything else that they would like to say

Take a moment to check the questions to make sure that you have covered all the topics

Let participants know that they can contact you or a member of the research team if they have any further questions or comments


At the end of the focus group:

Thank everyone for taking the time to share their ideas and experiences

Tell them about the next steps (i.e. community forum)

Put consent and demographic forms in sealed envelopes, labeled with type of form, date of focus group, names of co-facilitators, name of community


After the focus group: Summarize your handwritten notes in

English as soon as possible. Include: • a brief summary of your impressions of the focus group

(describing the setting, the participants, the mood of the focus group)

• a summary of the content of the discussion (what people said under each main questions, the themes raised)

• your reflections and insights

Return all completed forms to the leader


Dealing with challenging participants:

The real or self-appointed expert

• Who controls conversation or intimidates others - assign a special role, use nominal group technique, where facilitator invites each person, in turn, to speak

Friends who sit together and form a ‘clique’

• Avoid interviewing friends in the same group if possible, or have them sit apart



The most hostile group member

• Avoid personal confrontation - allow the group to police itself - e.g. "do others in the group feel that way too?”

The quiet person

• Give them a chance to share their ideas one-to-one respect their right to be quiet - use the nominal group technique to get their opinions out



The outsider (a person who has a very different perspective than other group participants)

• Make their differences into strengths - use them as a topic of discussion - avoid taking sides


Tips:

Probe for answers

Active listening

Summarize responses

Encourage participants to speak personally


Review Questionnaire

Introduction

Knowledge of Cancer Screening

Barriers to Cancer Screening

Suggestions

PHASE 1 FOCUS GROUP UNDERSTANDING KNOWLEDGE AND

BARRIERS

1. Please introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about yourself (country of origin; length of time in Canada, London, etc.)

2. What have been your experiences with cancer screening (in your home country and in Canada)?

a. What did you usually do when you felt sick in your home country?

b. What do you usually do when you feel sick in Canada?

Introduction

3. What do you know about cancer screening in Canada?

a. Do you know where you can get information about cancer screening services?

b. What do you want to know about cancer screening?

4. What thought or image comes to mind when you hear the word cancer?

5. What thought or image comes to mind when you hear the words cancer screening?

Knowledge of Cancer Screening

6. What are some of the barriers you face or have faced in accessing cancer screening services?Possible answers to probe for:

Language Scare/fear Not knowing what cancer screening means Not knowing what kind of test is (blood test, XR, US…) Low priority Not having a family doctor Physician have not offered or explained the test Not having a female doctor Lack of time Transportation

Child care

7. Could you describe any barriers or challenges your community may not access cancer screening services (breast, cervical, colorectal)?

Barriers to Cancer Screening

8. What suggestions do you have for women/men to be better supported to access cancer screening programs?

Suggestions

Practice

Report Back & Questions

Focus Group Facilitator Training. 1.Welcome 2.Role of Peer Health Educators 3.Focus Groups a.What is...

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