Qualitative House Calls: Using Technology to Connect with Physicians

Online qualitative methods can dramatically reduce the problems associated with recruiting and interviewing physicians. This article will focus on two primary online qualitative methods, one real time method and one asynchronous method (not real time).

 

Have you ever wanted to pull your hair out trying to get physicians to participate in a focus group or IDIs? Have you ever wanted to hide when your “next physician IDI” walks in, and you recognize him from your last project in the market? Have you ever wanted to scream when the physician simply did not show?

Physicians are notoriously difficult to recruit and interview. Therefore, facilities and recruiters tend to rely on the few physicians in every market who enjoy participating in qualitative research. These are the “regulars” recruiters can count on to show up and participate. Even so, the process can be frustrating, maddening even.

Online qualitative methods can dramatically reduce these problems. Online qualitative provides three major benefits that can improve your physician qualitative research.

• Access physicians over a wide geographical area. Because the Internet is location agnostic, an online project dramatically increases the available pool of recruitable physicians. There is no more need to “fall back on the regulars.”


• Eliminate inefficient and costly travel. Obviously, online eliminates moderator and client travel to and from the facility. Just as importantly, online methods eliminate inefficient and costly travel for the physicians. Many physicians are willing to participate in research, but are unwilling to leave their practice to do so. The Internet allows the researcher to take the research to the physician.


• Flexibility to schedule convenient times. By default, in-person interviews must adhere to a schedule. A major constraint when recruiting physicians is often finding qualified physicians who can attend at an available time slot. Many online methods eliminate this problem by conforming completely to the physician’s schedule.

 

This article will focus on two primary online qualitative methods, one real time method and one asynchronous method (not real time).

 

Real Time Webcam Interviews

Webcam interviewing is a fast-growing segment of the research industry for consumers and also for physicians. Of all the online research methods, webcam interviewing is the most intuitive for experienced researchers. With strong technical support, a researcher can transition from in-person to webcam interviews with ease.

Importantly, participants are becoming more comfortable with webcams. Virtually all laptop computers now have webcams and Skype.

Though some physicians are very technology capable, most know little and many have little patience for “figuring it out.” Therefore, it is very important to guide them through the process to make it as easy as possible. Some steps that can help during the recruiting process are:

• Determine if the physician has access to a webcam.


• Determine if the physician knows how to use it.


• Understand when and where the physician will be at the interview time.


• Test the webcam prior to the scheduled interview.


• Ask the physician (or the office administrator) to turn on the webcam a few minutes early to test the webcam and the Internet connection.

 

Many physicians are willing to participate in webcam interviews because it uses their time efficiently and it is “cool” if the technology is easy. Scheduling and interviewing physicians using webcams is a very similar process to scheduling and interviewing them in person. Here are some keys to success:

• Schedule at times convenient for the physician. This is much easier with webcams since moderators and viewers are not slaves to a travel schedule.


• Be willing to conduct the interviews early in the morning and late in the evening.


• Use the time zones to your advantage. If possible, schedule early morning interviews in Pacific Time (7 a.m. Pacific, 10 a.m. Eastern) and late evening interviews in Eastern Time (9 p.m. Eastern, 5 p.m. Pacific).


• Allow 5-10 minutes between interviews to get physicians logged in and using their webcams.


• Use a technical specialist to handle the technology and any glitches that may arise. Webcam research is real time so lost interviewing time is expensive. Also, the researcher should be free to focus on the research without worrying about the technology.

 

Another benefit of webcam research is that it dramatically reduces physician posturing that is prevalent during in-person research because physicians are not in the same market and do not compete. They tend to be helpful, honest and collaborative rather than competitive.

Using webcams for physician interviews is actually very easy and extremely cost effective. One researcher can conduct interviews throughout the day, coast-to-coast without leaving his/her chair. Plus, for experienced researchers, it is very intuitive. Webcam interviews or focus groups are a terrific way to conduct online qualitative research with physicians.

 

Asynchronous Bulletin Board Groups

Bulletin board focus groups are moderated, text-based discussions utilizing Internet bulletin board or forum technology adapted for research. The discussions can last for many days or even months, but physician research is generally best kept to two or three days unless the topic is very engaging.

The big benefit for physician research is that bulletin boards are asynchronous, not real time. The physician participants can log on at times that are convenient for them from any Internet-enabled computer. Some participate early in the morning before rounds; some catch a few minutes between appointments; others participate at night just before going to sleep. Regardless of their login time, the physician participants can read the moderator’s questions and the responses from other participants and respond to any of these posts at their convenience.

Physicians love the bulletin board format for three primary reasons:

• Convenient time and place. They can participate in research when it is convenient for them from their home or office.


• Interaction. They can read and respond to comments by colleagues.


• Honorarium. Physicians like getting paid.

 

When recruiting physicians for a bulletin board project, lay out the expectations up front. Like most people, they will not be familiar with the bulletin board format, which is not as intuitive as in-person focus groups or IDIs. Typical expectations to set are:

• Log in at least once a day for 20-30 minutes each day.


• Breaking up participation is okay. They can log in for a few minutes, several time a day.


• Respond to all the moderator’s questions.


• Honor patient privacy.


• Take time to read and comment on the posts of other physicians.


• Honorarium will be similar to that paid for a focus group or IDI and paid only if the physician fully participates.


• Communicate when they can expect to receive the honorarium and in what form.

 

Researchers should remember that physicians are people too. The moderator should spend time engaging them and modeling the desired behavior. If the moderator is not engaging, the physicians will often fall back on their linear, scientific training and treat the bulletin board like an open-ended questionnaire rather than a discussion platform. However, with proper encouragement, they will interact with one another and engage with the research resulting in an information goldmine.

Though the bulletin board is designed as a group discussion tool, some or all of the questions can be shown only to individuals or segments within the group. This feature is particularly helpful with physicians since there are times when the moderator needs to ask a sensitive question or other question which is better asked in private. Fully utilized, the feature can also be used to conduct virtual IDIs with no group interaction.

Physicians like bulletin board focus groups, particularly when the moderator engages them fully. The methodology allows them to contribute, but to do it on their own time. Bulletin boards are a great new technology for reaching those hard to reach physicians.

As researchers, our tool set is growing. We live in an exciting age with emerging research methods that can gather better insights, faster and cheaper than ever before. As we learn to apply these tools, we supplement the traditional methods to add a richness to our knowledge that has never been available before.

 

Article originally published in the September 2010 article of MRA Alert! magazine.

20|20 Technology, a division of 20|20 Research, has grown to become a worldwide leader in online qualitative research solutions. Let us know how we can help you with your next qualitative project. Visit our website at www.2020Research.com or email us. You can also reach us at 800-737-2020.