Total participant time required:1 hour
Lunch:5 minutes
Focus Group:55 minutes
MODERATOR GUIDE
- Time Stamp
State the date, time, and location of this focus group into the recording device.
- Lunch
Welcome, my name is (Paul Matiaco/Autumn Gardner).
Please take a lunch and have a seat. We will begin once everyone has arrived.
- Introduction
Thank you all for your participation today. This focus group will take one-hour, and you are welcome to continue eating during the discussion. This is one of several focus groups being held with public health nurses inUtah. The purpose of these focus groups is to better understand the barriers public health nurses face when conducting a tuberculosis (TB) contact investigation in Utah. Our discussion will be based on the results of an online-survey that was conducted by the Utah Department of Health (UDOH) last year. Both the online survey and these focus groups are a part of Utah’s TB Evaluation Plan; this Plan is a component of the UDOH’s cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).The results will be used to evaluate the strategies, strengths, and weaknesses of the Utah TB Control Program’s attempt to reach the national contact investigation objectives; adjustments to the Program may be made based on the evaluation results.
- Guidelines
Let’s go ahead and get started.The reason I invited you here is that I would like you to respond to some questions regarding your experiences as a public health nurse.My role is to help us stay focused on the topic and make sure all the important areas are covered.
Before we begin I would like to review a few things:
- I am audio-recording the session becauseI do not want to miss any of your comments.This also means that I do not have to take notes.Only UDOH staff will have access to the audio-recording.
- Names will notbe recorded or tied to comments. All your comments will be anonymous, meaning no one will know who made what comments. You will never be identified by name, only by your health district and an assigned number;therefore, I hope you will feel free to speak openly and honestly.
- If anyone needs to leave to take care of other responsibilities, please feel free to do so. If you do leave, please come back and join us if time allows so we can continue to get your insight.
- There are no right or wrong answers. Feel free to say whatever you want; I want to hear your opinions. Anything you are thinking is important and interesting. I would like the discussion to be informal, so there is no need to wait for me to call on you to respond. In fact, I encourage you to respond directly to the comments other people make. If you do not understand a question, please let me know.
What questions do you have before we begin?
- Voice Tag
To help us with the transcription process please state your assigned number and in 30 seconds tell is one of your most memorable experiences as a nurse?
- Transition Question
List three challenges that a nurse faces when conducting a TB contact investigation.
- Key Questions
The Utah TB Control Program has not consistently achieved the National TB Program Objectives for contact investigations for sputum acid-fast bacilli(AFB)-smear positive cases in the following three areas:
(1)evaluate at least 93% of contacts;
(2)start treatment for at least 88% of contacts newly diagnosed with latent TB infection (LTBI); and,
(3)complete treatment in 79% of contacts with newly diagnosed LTBI who start treatment for LTBI.
My next five questions are about contact evaluation.
(1)Results from the online-survey indicated thatmost (57.7%, 15/26) Utah nurses ratedlanguage barriersas an extreme barrier to completing a successful contact evaluation. Tell me about this barrier .
(2)Results from the online-survey indicated thatmost (46.2%, 12/26) Utah nurses ratedcultural barriersas a moderate barrier to completing a successful contact evaluation.
Tell me about this barrier.
(3)Most (38.5%, 10/26) Utah nurses rated immigration issuesas an extreme barrier to completing a successful contact evaluation. Tell me about this barrier.
(4)Most (42.3%, 11/26) Utah nurses rated the following as an extreme barrier to completing a successful contact evaluation: Contacts do not understand the increased risk of progression to TB disease following recent exposure. Tell me about this barrier.
[THIS QUESTION MAY BESKIPPED IF TIME IS LACKING]
(5)The following step of evaluating contacts was rated as very difficult by a few nurses (15.4%, 4/26): Retesting contacts with negative test results after the window period of 8-10 weeks.
Tell me the reasons this step is difficult.
My next four questions are about contact treatment.
(6)The following treatment step for contacts was rated as very difficult by some nurses (30.8%, 8/26): Directly-Observed-Preventive-Therapy (DOPT) of high-risk contacts Tell me the reasons this step is difficult.
(7)Most (48%, 12/25) Utah nurses ratedlanguage barriersas an extreme barrier to the successful completion of contact treatment. Tell me about this barrier.
(8)Some (40%, 10/25) Utah nurses ratedcultural barriersas an extreme barrier to the successful completion of contact treatment. Tell me about this barrier.
(9)Most (36%, 9/25) Utah nurses ratedimmigration issuesas an extreme barrier to the successful completion of contact treatment. Tell me about this barrier.
I haveone concluding question.
[THIS QUESTION MAY BESKIPPED IF TIME IS LACKING]
(10)In your opinion, what are the most beneficial elements of the Utah TB Control Program with respect to all aspects of contact investigations?
VIII.Ending Question
Those are all of my questions.
What concluding thoughts or opinionsneed to be shared before we adjourn?
That concludes the focus group, thank you again for participating.
Time Schedule
TimeActivity
5 minWelcome and Getting Lunch
5 minIntroduction andGuidelines
5 minVoice Tag, Opening Question, and Transition Question
20 minKey Questions: Contact Evaluation
20 minKey Questions: Contact Treatment
5 minConcluding Questions and Ending Question
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