Methodology
A focus group and six telephone interviews were carried out.
Application for ethical approval was made to the NHS Health
Research Authority and a favourable opinion was granted by
the NRES Committee West Midlands – Black Country. Access
to NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde premises to hold the focus
group was granted by the NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde
R&D management office.
Participants were identified by a practising tissue viability
nurse, based in NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde. The sampling
was purposive, aiming to include people who had experience
of different wound types and AWDs. Inclusion was limited to
participants aged over 18 years, who have (or had) a chronic
wound and who had been treated with an AWD product
within the previous 3 months. A relative of one of the
participants also asked to be involved. Given their invaluable
insight into caring for someone with a chronic wound, the
decision was made to include them in the research.
Participants who expressed an interest in taking part
had the study explained to them by the recruiting tissue
viability nurse (the relative had the study explained to them
by a researcher). Informed consent was obtained from all
participants, and participants were assured that consent couldbe withdrawn at any time.
It was not feasible to collect basic demographic information
on people who did not accept the invitation to take part.
The focus groups and telephone interviews were guided
by an interview schedule (available on request). The focusgroup was facilitated by two researchers (JK and NF); one
researcher did four telephone interviews (JK); and another
researcher did two (SHM). All focus group and telephone
interview participants completed informed consent forms.
This work was carried out by three researchers from
Healthcare Improvement Scotland. All have Masters-level
qualifications in health services research or public health,
which included training in qualitative research methods. The
researchers have varying levels of experience in conducting and
analysing qualitative research. The protocol for the research, and
a draft of the analysis and write-up, was reviewed by an expert
in qualitative research at the University of Aberdeen.