Form #2 Focus Group Moderator Guide

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Form Approved
OMB No. 0935-0179
Exp. Date 07/31/2014

ttachment B

Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Awareness Campaign

Focus Groups

Moderator Guide

DRAFT 9.23.11

Welcome

Thank you for coming today. Your participation is very important. I’m _______ and I’m from RTI International, a non-profit research organization. The purpose of this focus group discussion is to hear your views and opinions about some draft materials that are under development for people with chronic health conditions and their caregivers. Your insights are very important to us and your time today is appreciated. We will have about 90 minutes for our discussion.

Before we begin, I want to review a few ground rules for our discussion.

• Most importantly, there are no ‘right or wrong’ answers. I want to know your opinions and what you think about the materials we will be looking at. I didn’t make them and I don’t work for the people who did, so please, don’t hold back from giving me your honest opinions.

• You have probably noticed the microphones in the room. They are here because we are audio taping. I want to give you my full attention and not have to take a lot of notes. At the end of our discussion, I have to write a report and will listen to the tape when writing the report.

• Behind me is a one-way mirror. Some of the people working on this project are observing this discussion behind the mirror so that they can hear your opinions directly from you and take notes so that your opinions are accurately captured. However, your identity and anything you say about your personal situation will remain confidential to the extent permitted by law. Your name, address, and phone number, which only the recruiter knows, will not be given to anyone and no one will contact you after this interview is over.

• If at any time you are uncomfortable with my questions, you can choose not to answer. Simply let me know that you prefer not to answer.

• Please turn your cell phone to vibrate or silent mode. If you need to go to the restroom during the discussion, please feel free to leave, but please return as soon as possible.

Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 90 minutes per response, the estimated time required to complete the survey. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to: AHRQ Reports Clearance Officer Attention: PRA, Paperwork Reduction Project (0935-0179) AHRQ, 540 Gaither Road, Room # 5036, Rockville, MD 20850.

Do you have any questions before we begin?

Warm-up

Before we begin our discussion, let’s spend a little time getting to know one another. Please tell me your first name and an interesting fact about yourself.

Individual Concepts

There are several advertisements, or ads, that I am going to share with you. These ads are for a campaign that is under development and are in draft form. Ads like these might eventually appear on posters, in magazines, on the internet or for other materials.

I’ll show you an ad and then we’ll discuss it. We’ll repeat this same process with each of the 6 ads. For now, I would like us to avoid comparing the ads. Instead, let’s consider each ad on its own merits first.

[Note to interviewer: verbally call out the name of each ad as you show it so that observers can follow along. Also, verbally describe any specific elements of an ad (e.g., picture or image) that a participant may be pointing to for the benefit of observers.]

Concept 1 (repeat for each of 3 ads)

1. How would you sum up your first impression of this ad?

Probe: What first captures your attention in this ad?

Probe: What feelings do you have in reaction to this ad?

2. What is the main idea this message is trying to get across?

Probe: Was this a new idea or something you’ve heard before?

Probe: What does this ad mean to YOU?

3. Are there any words/phrases that are especially attention getting or appealing?

Probe: What message do you get from the headline, in particular?

Probe: How does this ad make you feel about finding out about your treatment options and getting the information you need to make decisions?

4. Are there any words/phrases in this message that bother you or should be said differently?

Probe: Is there anything in the message that you strongly disagree with? What?

5. Is there anything in the message that is confusing, unclear or hard to understand? What?

6. What do you think about the image, color and graphics?

Probe: Any changes you would make to the image, color, or graphics?

7. Who would you say they are trying to reach with this ad?

Probe: Is the message in this ad meaningful to you or someone in your family? Why?

8. Does this ad make you want to do anything? What?

Probe: Do you think it would motivate others?

9. How would you change this ad to improve it?

10. Now I’m going to ask each of you to rate how much you like the ad overall on a scale from 1-10, with 1 being terrible and 10 being fantastic, how would you rate this ad?

Concept-Specific Probes (only ask once for each concept)

11. [Placeholder for question that asks about meaning of specific concept that is not yet developed]

[REPEAT QUESTIONS 1-10 FOR CONCEPTS 2-3]

Comparison of Concepts

12. Now, I am going to ask each of you to rank the six ads we discussed based on how much you like them overall. On your sheet of paper, please rank the six ads in order, with number 1 as your favorite and number 6 your least favorite.

13. If you had to choose one, which one of the ads would most motivate you to seek out more information about the different options you have to treat an illness or medical condition? What made you choose that one?

14. How would you seek out more information?

Exploring Campaign Strategies

Now, let’s talk a little about how we can best deliver information to the public - people like you.

15. Where are some places you might notice ads like these?

Probe: online, buses/subways, billboards, doctor’s office, magazines, community events, radio or television ads?

Probe: Do you pay attention to ads found in these places (online, buses/subways, billboards, doctor’s office, magazines, community events, radio or television ads)?

Probe: How often have you acted on information in ads found in these places (online, buses/subways, billboards, doctor’s office, magazines, community events, radio or television ads)?

Probe: Would you encourage others to act on the information? Why or why not?

16. If you encountered your favorite of these ads online while seeking health care information would you follow the link to learn more information?

Probe: If yes – What would motivate you to do so? If no – Why not?

Probe: Would you print out information from the website?

Probe: What would you do with that information?

17. Would you go to a website that gave you information about the options that are most effective for treating certain diseases and conditions?

Closing

Ok, we are pretty much out of time. Are there any final thoughts from the group?

Excuse me for one moment while I see if the people observing have any questions that I have not asked. I will be right back.

[Interviewer steps out to check to see if there are any additional questions.]

Thank you for your participation.

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