Application of the Focus Group Methodology to Educational Program Development

Abstract

The emergence and growth of the HIV pandemic mandates the availability of nurses with the knowledge and skills to respond to the needs of infected persons. To develop relevant continuing education on HIV/AIDS for practicing nurses, the investigators applied focus group methods to assess the perceived learning needs of nurses caring for persons with HIV disease in a variety of settings. Findings of critical knowledge and skills in HIV nursing practice, plus suggested processes by which nurses prefer to acquire the knowledge and skills were used to construct a training program. This article describes the procedures used for focus group formation and moderation, data collection and analysis, and application of findings to program development. Data from training participants' evaluation of program content and process are discussed as a measure of the utility of this application of the focus group methodology.