焦點團體於老年族群之應用

Using Focus Groups Among The Elderly

焦點團體為方案評估、行銷、公共政策、廣告、傳播及市場研究等應用科學家重要的研究工具，可在短時間內收集到多人的資料，既快速且經濟，因此，近年來漸受護理界歡迎。焦點團體研究法的研究對象廣泛，包括青少年、健康成人、老人、病患及護理人員等，應用在不同族群需要注意其不同的特質而作必要的調整。本文從焦點團體的籌備、實施、分析與報告，陳述運用焦點團體在老年族群的情況，要注意到老年人的身體、心理狀況、作息習慣與互動等的特殊性，謹慎安排焦點團體的各項細節。期望分享焦點團體運用在老年族群的經驗，提供未來進行有關老年族群的焦點團體研究者的參考。

Focus groups are important tools for assessing markets, making public policy and researching applied science. The use of focus groups can enable us to gather large volumes of data in short periods of time. The need for focus groups, because of the economical and efficient way in which they generate information, has grown recently in nursing. Focus groups can be used among different groups within a population, including teenagers, healthy adults, elderly people, patients and nurses. The manner in which they are used, however, must be adjusted to take account of the characteristics of each group. This article discusses the preparation, implementation, analysis and reporting of the use of focus groups among elderly people. It was important to observe the elderly subjects' physical and psychological states, work and rest habits, and interaction, and carefully arrange the detail of each group in accordance with the findings of such observation. This article is intended to enable the experience of using focus groups among the elderly to be shared with other researchers.