Adam Hughes Honorary senior research fellow, HQ SG: Defence Medical Services, Academic Department of Military Nursing, Defence Medical Directorate, Birmingham, England
Diane Lamb Defence professor of nursing, HQ SG: Defence Medical Services, Academic Department of Military Nursing, Defence Medical Directorate, Birmingham, England
Why you should read this article:

• To guide you in deciding whether to use focus groups in your research

• To learn about some of the practical issues you need to consider when using focus groups

• To understand how focus groups can be useful in grounded theory research

Background Focus groups are a common way to collect qualitative research data, but they require a skilled approach to manage participants and elicit the required information.

Aim To discuss the use of focus groups in the context of an example study that used a grounded theory approach.

Discussion This article explores some of the main practical issues when conducting focus groups, which can have significant impacts on the data collated and the final outcomes. They include ensuring a focus group is the most likely method of yielding the information required, how to conduct it and the lines of enquiry throughout.

Conclusion Focus groups are effective tools, but their success relies on having a skilled moderator to elicit salient points that answer the research question. Technology can mitigate some of their logistical constraints as well, bringing together homogenous groups spread over large geographical areas.

Implications for practice Taking a structured approach when planning and conducting focus groups can yield high-quality data.

Nurse Researcher. 33, 4, 25-31. doi: 10.7748/nr.2025.e1967

Peer review

This article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software

Correspondence

adam.hughes876@mod.gov.uk

Conflict of interest

None declared

Hughes A, Lamb D (2025) A grounded theory example of using focus groups to collect qualitative research data. Nurse Researcher. doi: 10.7748/nr.2025.e1967

Published online: 27 June 2025

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