Stephen Mason1, Julie Ling2, Daniela Mosoiu3, María Arantzamendi4, Aliki J Tserkezoglou5, Oana Predoiu6, Sheila Payne7. 1. Palliative Care Unit, Institute of Life Course and Medical Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom. 2. European Association for Palliative Care, Luchthavenlaan, Belgium. 3. Faculty of Medicine, Transilvania University, Brasov, Romania. 4. Instituto Cultura y Sociedad, ATLANTES, Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain. 5. "Galilee" Palliative Care Unit, Athens, Greece. 6. Hospice Casa Sperantei, Brasov, Romania. 7. International Observatory on End of Life Care, Faculty of Health and Medicine, Lancaster University, Lancaster, United Kingdom.
Abstract
Background: Nominal group technique (NGT) is a well-established research method for establishing consensus. Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, research methods need to be adapted to engage with participants online. Objective: To determine the feasibility and acceptability of adapting NGT to an online format. Setting: Palliative care clinicians (n = 31) in Greece, Romania, and Spain. Methods: NGT discussions were used to elicit palliative care clinicians' opinions, and to rank priorities regarding their understanding and needs about clinical research. Preliminary online training of country-based facilitators was followed by content analysis of debriefing reports to capture learning related to the online NGT format. Results/Implementation: Three NGT sessions used online platforms (Zoom/MS Office/Mentimeter) for the meetings. Analysis of the facilitator reports generated three themes: preparation/facilitation/timing; optimizing technology; and interactions. Conclusions: Conducting NGT meetings online is viable and may be advantageous when compared with traditional face-to-face meetings, but requires careful preparation for participants to contribute effectively.
Background: Nominal group technique (NGT) is a well-established research method for establishing consensus. Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, research methods need to be adapted to engage with participants online. Objective: To determine the feasibility and acceptability of adapting NGT to an online format. Setting: Palliative care clinicians (n = 31) in Greece, Romania, and Spain. Methods: NGT discussions were used to elicit palliative care clinicians' opinions, and to rank priorities regarding their understanding and needs about clinical research. Preliminary online training of country-based facilitators was followed by content analysis of debriefing reports to capture learning related to the online NGT format. Results/Implementation: Three NGT sessions used online platforms (Zoom/MS Office/Mentimeter) for the meetings. Analysis of the facilitator reports generated three themes: preparation/facilitation/timing; optimizing technology; and interactions. Conclusions: Conducting NGT meetings online is viable and may be advantageous when compared with traditional face-to-face meetings, but requires careful preparation for participants to contribute effectively.
Entities:
Keywords:
COVID-19; nominal group technique; online; palliative care; research; terminal care
Authors: Nurul Syaireen A Rashid; Xin Wee Chen; Muhamad Fadhil Mohamad Marzuki; Aseel A Takshe; Ahmad Okasha; Faridah Maarof; Raudah Mohd Yunus Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2022-09-20 Impact factor: 4.614