Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Formative Research
Date Submitted: Oct 28, 2021
Open Peer Review Period: Oct 28, 2021 - Dec 23, 2021
Date Accepted: Feb 15, 2022
Date Submitted to PubMed: Feb 28, 2022
(closed for review but you can still tweet)
Synchronous online nominal group sessions in times of COVID-19: recommendations for researchers based on a Fishbone analysis.
ABSTRACT
Background:
In times of COVID-19, we are challenged to experiment with alternative platforms or software to connect people. In particular, the struggle in health research arose to interact with patients and care professionals. The latter is additionally faced with an extreme workload to fight the pandemic crisis. Creative strategies are developed to continue research among patients and care professionals to improve quality of care. This paper addresses the issue of synchronous online nominal group sessions, a common consensus method used for group brainstorming.
Objective:
The purpose of this study is to share our experiences with performing online nominal group sessions using the video conference software Microsoft® Teams. In addition, we aim to create a practical guide with recommendations for researchers.
Methods:
We critically analysed data collection of online nominal group sessions, according to the Fishbone methodology.
Results:
Performing synchronous online nominal group sessions is challenging but offers opportunities. Although interaction with and among the attendees complicates the process, the major advantage of online sessions is their accessibility and low time investment. The role of the moderators is of major importance and good preparation beforehand is required. Recommendations for future online nominal research were formulated.
Conclusions:
Online nominal group sessions seem to be a promising alternative for the real-life commonly used technique. Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, the benefits must be highlighted. More expertise is needed to further refine the practical guide for using digital software in research and to achieve optimal performance.
Citation
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Copyright
© The authors. All rights reserved. This is a privileged document currently under peer-review/community review (or an accepted/rejected manuscript). Authors have provided JMIR Publications with an exclusive license to publish this preprint on it's website for review and ahead-of-print citation purposes only. While the final peer-reviewed paper may be licensed under a cc-by license on publication, at this stage authors and publisher expressively prohibit redistribution of this draft paper other than for review purposes.