Using Zoom videoconferencing for qualitative data collection: perceptions and experiences of researchers and participants

Advances in communication technologies offer new opportunities for the conduct of qualitative research. Among these, Zoom—an innovative videoconferencing platform—has a number of unique features that enhance its potential appeal to qualitative and mixed-methods researchers. Although studies have explored the use of information and communication technologies for conducting research, few have explored both researcher and participant perspectives on the use of web and videoconferencing platforms. Further, data are lacking on the benefits and challenges of using Zoom as a data collection method. In this study, we explore the feasibility and acceptability of using Zoom to collect qualitative interview data within a health research context in order to better understand its suitability for qualitative and mixed-methods researchers. We asked 16 practice nurses who participated in online qualitative interviews about their experiences of using Zoom and concurrently recorded researcher observations. Although several participants experienced technical difficulties, most described their interview experience as highly satisfactory and generally rated Zoom above alternative interviewing mediums such as face-to-face, telephone, and other videoconferencing services, platforms, and products. Findings suggest the viability of Zoom as a tool for collection of qualitative data because of its relative ease of use, cost-effectiveness, data management features, and security options. Further research exploring the utility of Zoom is recommended in order to critically assess and advance innovations in online methods.Mandy M. Archibald, Rachel C. Ambagtsheer, Mavourneen G. Casey, and Michael Lawles

Understanding consumer perceptions of frailty screening to inform knowledge translation and health service improvements

Published electronically October 2020BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: despite growing support for the clinical application of frailty, including regular frailty screening for older adults, little is known about how older adults perceive frailty screening. The purpose of this study was to examine older adults' perspectives on frailty screening to inform knowledge translation and service improvements for older adults with frailty. RESEARCH DESIGN: interpretive descriptive qualitative design. PARTICIPANTS: a total of 39 non-frail (18%), pre-frail (33%) and frail or very frail (49%) South Australian older adults aged 62-99 years, sampled from community, assisted living and residential aged care settings. METHODS: seven focus groups were conducted and analysed by two independent investigators using inductive thematic analysis. RESULTS: three themes were identified. First, older adults question the necessity and logic of an objective frailty measure. Second, older adults believe any efforts at frailty screening need to culminate in an action. Third, older adults emphasise that frailty screening needs to be conducted sensitively given negative perceptions of the term frailty and the potential adverse effects of frailty labelling. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS: previous screening experiences and underlying beliefs about the nature of frailty as inevitable shaped openness to, and acceptance of, frailty screening. Findings correspond with previous research illuminating the lack of public awareness of frailty and the nascent stage of frailty screening implementation. Incorporating consumer perspectives, along with perspectives of other stakeholder groups when considering implementing frailty screening, is likely to impact uptake and optimise suitability-important considerations in person-centred care provision.Mandy M. Archibald, Michael T. Lawless, Rachel C. Ambagtsheer, Alison L. Kitso

Older adults' understandings and perspectives on frailty in community and residential aged care: an interpretive description

OBJECTIVES: Despite growing interest in frailty as a significant public health challenge, comparatively little is known about how older adults perceive and experience frailty, limiting the effectiveness of strategies to improve frailty management and prevention. The objective of this study was to understand how older people, including frail older persons in residential aged care, perceive and understand frailty through an interpretive-descriptive qualitative study. SETTING: Aged care facility, community-based university for older persons and an aged care auxiliary care group in a large metropolitan centre in South Australia. PARTICIPANTS: 39 non-frail, prefrail, frail and very frail South Australian older adults. METHODS: Seven focus groups were conducted. Participants completed one of two frailty instruments depending on setting and indicated whether they self-identified as frail. Data were analysed inductively and thematically by two independent investigators. RESULTS: Frailty was described according to three schemas of (1) the old and frail: a static state near the end of life; (2) frailty at any age: a disability model; and (3) frailty as a loss of independence: control, actions and identity. In addition, a theme was identifying linking mindset, cognition and emotion to frailty. The term frailty was viewed negatively and was often implicated with personal choice. There was little correlation between frailty assessments and whether participants self-identified as frail. CONCLUSIONS: Aside from a disability model, views of frailty as unmodifiable permeated older persons' diverse perspectives on frailty and are likely to impact health behaviours. To our knowledge, this is among the largest qualitative studies examining consumer perceptions of frailty and contributes a clinically relevant schema linking age, prevention and modifiability from a consumer perspective.Mandy Archibald, Michael Lawless, Rachel C Ambagtsheer, Alison Kitso

Feasibility and acceptability of commonly used screening instruments to identify frailty among community-dwelling older people: a mixed methods study

BACKGROUND:Frailty exposes older people to an elevated risk of a range of negative outcomes. Emerging evidence that frailty can be effectively treated within community settings has stimulated calls for more proactive screening within primary care. Assessing feasibility is a critical preliminary step in assessing the efficacy of interventions such as screening. However, few studies have explored the feasibility and acceptability of administering frailty screening instruments within general practice, and even fewer have incorporated patient perspectives. Our study had three objectives: To 1) assess overall feasibility of the instruments (completion time and rate); 2) assess patient acceptability towards the instruments; and 3) assess the feasibility and acceptability of the instruments to administering nurses. METHODS:The feasibility and acceptability of several frailty screening instruments (PRISMA-7, Edmonton Frail Scale, FRAIL Scale Questionnaire, Gait Speed, Groningen Frailty Indicator, Reported Edmonton Frail Scale and Kihon Checklist) was explored within the context of a larger diagnostic test accuracy (DTA) study. Completion time and rate was collected for all participants (N = 243). A sub-sample of patients (n = 30) rated each instrument for ease of completion and provided comment on perceived acceptability. Lastly, five of six administering nurses involved in the DTA study participated in semi-structured face-to-face interviews, rating the instruments against several feasibility and acceptability criteria (time, space, equipment, skill required to implement, acceptability to patients and nurses, ease of scoring) and providing comment on their responses. RESULTS:The PRISMA-7 returned the highest overall feasibility and acceptability, requiring minimal space, equipment, skills and time to implement, and returning the fastest completion rate and highest patient and nurse acceptability rating. All screening instruments were faster to implement than the two reference standards (Fried's Frailty Phenotype and Frailty Index). Self-administered instruments were subject to lower rates of completion than nurse-administered instruments. CONCLUSIONS:This study has demonstrated that a number of commonly used frailty screening instruments are potentially feasible for implementation within general practice. Ultimately, more research is needed to determine how contextual factors, such as differences in individual patient and clinician preferences, setting and system factors, impact on the feasibility of screening in practice.Rachel C. Ambagtsheer, Mandy M. Archibald, Michael Lawless, Alison Kitson and Justin Beilb

An Integrated Genetic Linkage Map of the Soybean Genome

A number of molecular genetic maps of the soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] have been developed over the past 10 yr. These maps are primarily based on restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) markers. Parental surveys have shown that most RFLP loci have only two known alleles. However, because the soybean is an ancient polyploid, RFLP probes typically hybridize and map to more than one position in the genome. Thus, the polymorphic potential of an RFLP probe is primarily a function of the frequency of the two alleles at each locus the probe detects. In contrast, simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers are single locus markers with multiple alleles. The polymorphic potential of an SSR marker is dependent on the number of alleles and their frequencies. Single locus markers provide an unam- biguous means of defining linkage group homology across mapping populations. The objective of the work reported here was to develop and map a large set of SSR markers. A total of 606 SSR loci were mapped in one or more of three populations: the USDA/Iowa State G. max x G. soja F 2 population, the Univ. of Utah Minsoy x Noir 1 recombinant inbred population, and the Univ. of Nebraska Clark x Harosoy F2 population. Each SSR mapped to a single locus in the genome, with a map order that was essentially identical in all three populations. Many SSR loci were segregating in two or all three populations. Thus, it was relatively simple to align the 201 linkage groups derived from each of the three populations into a consensus set of 20 homologous linkage groups presumed to correspond to the 20 pairs of soybean chromosomes. On the basis of in situ segregation or linkage reports in the literature all but one of the classical linkage groups can now be assigned to a corresponding molecular linkage group