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Focus groups comprise one or more group discussions in which participants ‘focus’ collectively upon a topic or issue that is usually presented to them as a series of questions, although sometimes as a film, a collection of advertisements, cards to sort, a game to play, or a vignette to discuss. The distinctive feature of the focus group method is its generation of interactive data (Wilkinson, 1998). Focus groups were initially used in marketing research. As its title implied, they had a focus that was to clarify the participants’ views on a particular product. Thus, from the outset the researcher had set the parameters of the discussion and as it proceeded he/she deliberately guided the discussion so that its focus remained limited. More recent use of the focus group has been much more expansive. In many cases, the term ‘discussion group’ is preferred to give an indication of this greater latitude. The role of the researcher in the focus group is to act as the moderator for the discussion. The researcher can follow similar guidelines to those for an interview by using a guide, except the discussion should be allowed to flow freely and not be constrained too much by the investigator’s agenda. The researcher needs to ensure that all the group participants have an opportunity to express their viewpoints. The method is often combined with interviews and questionnaires.

Although it is usual for the moderator to introduce some themes for discussion, this can be supplemented with a short video extract or pictures relevant to the topic being investigated. As the discussion proceeds, the researcher can often take a background role, while ensuring that the discussion does not deviate too far from the focus of the research and that all the participants have an opportunity to express their views. An assistant can help in completing consent forms, providing name-tags, organizing refreshments, keeping notes on who is talking (this is useful for transcription), and monitoring the recording equipment. The focus group recording should be transcribed as soon as possible afterwards since it is often difficult to distinguish speakers. Here are a few examples: Jones et al. (2014b) carried out a focus group and telephone interviews with patients in rural areas to examine the management of diabetes in a rural area; Liimakka (2014) drew upon focus group discussions to explore how young Finnish university students viewed the cultural ideals of health and appearance; Griffiths et al. (2015) used pre- and post-intervention focus groups to test a website, Realshare, for young oncology patients in the south-west of England; and Bogart (2015) examined the social experiences of 10 adolescents aged 12–17 years with Moebius Syndrome, a rare condition involving congenital facial paralysis.