A method of data collection and a QUALITATIVE RESEARCH tool in which a small group of individuals are brought together and allowed to interact in a discussion of their opinions about topics, issues, or questions.

Any type of research that employs nonnumeric information to explore individual or group characteristics, producing findings not arrived at by statistical procedures or other quantitative means. (Qualitative Inquiry: A Dictionary of Terms Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1997)

Knowledge, attitudes, and associated behaviors which pertain to health-related topics such as PATHOLOGIC PROCESSES or diseases, their prevention, and treatment. This term refers to non-health workers and health workers (HEALTH PERSONNEL).

Conversations with an individual or individuals held in order to obtain information about their background and other personal biographical data, their attitudes and opinions, etc. It includes school admission or job interviews.

Attitudes of personnel toward their patients, other professionals, toward the medical care system, etc.

Public attitudes toward health, disease, and the medical care system.

Predetermined sets of questions used to collect data - clinical data, social status, occupational group, etc. The term is often applied to a self-completed survey instrument.

The exchange or transmission of ideas, attitudes, or beliefs between individuals or groups.

A collective expression for all behavior patterns acquired and socially transmitted through symbols. Culture includes customs, traditions, and language.

The interactions between physician and patient.

Encouraging consumer behaviors most likely to optimize health potentials (physical and psychosocial) through health information, preventive programs, and access to medical care.

Collaborative process of research involving researchers and community representatives.

The seeking and acceptance by patients of health service.

Those aspects or characteristics which identify a culture.

The process by which the nature and meaning of sensory stimuli are recognized and interpreted.

Education that increases the awareness and favorably influences the attitudes and knowledge relating to the improvement of health on a personal or community basis.

Men and women working in the provision of health services, whether as individual practitioners or employees of health institutions and programs, whether or not professionally trained, and whether or not subject to public regulation. (From A Discursive Dictionary of Health Care, 1976)

Interactions between health personnel and patients.

The degree to which the individual regards the health care service or product or the manner in which it is delivered by the provider as useful, effective, or beneficial.

The inhabitants of rural areas or of small towns classified as rural.

The attitude of a significant portion of a population toward any given proposition, based upon a measurable amount of factual evidence, and involving some degree of reflection, analysis, and reasoning.

The degree to which individuals are inhibited or facilitated in their ability to gain entry to and to receive care and services from the health care system. Factors influencing this ability include geographic, architectural, transportational, and financial considerations, among others.

An enduring, learned predisposition to behave in a consistent way toward a given class of objects, or a persistent mental and/or neural state of readiness to react to a certain class of objects, not as they are but as they are conceived to be.

The process of making a selective intellectual judgment when presented with several complex alternatives consisting of several variables, and usually defining a course of action or an idea.

Those physicians who have completed the education requirements specified by the American Academy of Family Physicians.

Systematic identification of a population's needs or the assessment of individuals to determine the proper level of services needed.

Those factors, such as language or sociocultural relationships, which interfere in the meaningful interpretation and transmission of ideas between individuals or groups.

Studies designed to assess the efficacy of programs. They may include the evaluation of cost-effectiveness, the extent to which objectives are met, or impact.

Small-scale tests of methods and procedures to be used on a larger scale if the pilot study demonstrates that these methods and procedures can work.

The process of formulating, improving, and expanding educational, managerial, or service-oriented work plans (excluding computer program development).

Patient involvement in the decision-making process in matters pertaining to health.

Support systems that provide assistance and encouragement to individuals with physical or emotional disabilities in order that they may better cope. Informal social support is usually provided by friends, relatives, or peers, while formal assistance is provided by churches, groups, etc.

Persons living in the United States having origins in any of the black groups of Africa.

Persons functioning as natural, adoptive, or substitute parents. The heading includes the concept of parenthood as well as preparation for becoming a parent.

Community or individual involvement in the decision-making process.

Cultural and linguistic competence is a set of congruent behaviors, attitudes, and policies that come together in a system, agency, or among professionals that enables effective work in cross-cultural situations. Competence implies the capacity to function effectively as an individual and an organization within the context of the cultural beliefs, behaviors, and needs presented by consumers and their communities.

The teaching or training of patients concerning their own health needs.

The expected function of a member of a particular profession.

Care which provides integrated, accessible health care services by clinicians who are accountable for addressing a large majority of personal health care needs, developing a sustained partnership with patients, and practicing in the context of family and community. (JAMA 1995;273(3):192)

Those factors which cause an organism to behave or act in either a goal-seeking or satisfying manner. They may be influenced by physiological drives or by external stimuli.

Recording of information on magnetic or punched paper tape.

Customer satisfaction or dissatisfaction with a benefit or service received.

Health services, public or private, in rural areas. The services include the promotion of health and the delivery of health care.

Individuals participating in the health care system for the purpose of receiving therapeutic, diagnostic, or preventive procedures.

Physicians whose practice is not restricted to a specific field of MEDICINE.

Confidence in or reliance on a person or thing.

The reciprocal interaction of two or more professional individuals.

Coexistence of numerous distinct ethnic, racial, religious, or cultural groups within one social unit, organization, or population. (From American Heritage Dictionary, 2d college ed., 1982, p955)

A geographical area of the United States with no definite boundaries but comprising northeastern Alabama, northwestern Georgia, northwestern South Carolina, western North Carolina, eastern Kentucky, eastern Tennessee, western Virginia, West Virginia, western Maryland, southwestern Pennsylvania, southern Ohio, and southern New York.

Diagnostic, therapeutic and preventive health services provided for individuals in the community.

An oversimplified perception or conception especially of persons, social groups, etc.

Persons trained to assist professional health personnel in communicating with residents in the community concerning needs and availability of health services.

Systematic gathering of data for a particular purpose from various sources, including questionnaires, interviews, observation, existing records, and electronic devices. The process is usually preliminary to statistical analysis of the data.

A medical specialty concerned with the provision of continuing, comprehensive primary health care for the entire family.

Health services required by a population or community as well as the health services that the population or community is able and willing to pay for.

Behaviors expressed by individuals to protect, maintain or promote their health status. For example, proper diet, and appropriate exercise are activities perceived to influence health status. Life style is closely associated with health behavior and factors influencing life style are socioeconomic, educational, and cultural.

The integration of epidemiologic, sociological, economic, and other analytic sciences in the study of health services. Health services research is usually concerned with relationships between need, demand, supply, use, and outcome of health services. The aim of the research is evaluation, particularly in terms of structure, process, output, and outcome. (From Last, Dictionary of Epidemiology, 2d ed)

Individuals licensed to practice medicine.

Organized services to provide information on any questions an individual might have using databases and other sources. (From Random House Unabridged Dictionary, 2d ed)

A perceived attribute that is deeply discrediting and is considered to be a violation of social norms.

Persons who provide care to those who need supervision or assistance in illness or disability. They may provide the care in the home, in a hospital, or in an institution. Although caregivers include trained medical, nursing, and other health personnel, the concept also refers to parents, spouses, or other family members, friends, members of the clergy, teachers, social workers, fellow patients.

The state of being free from intrusion or disturbance in one's private life or affairs. (Random House Unabridged Dictionary, 2d ed, 1993)

The transfer of information from experts in the medical and public health fields to patients and the public. The study and use of communication strategies to inform and influence individual and community decisions that enhance health.

Performance of activities or tasks traditionally performed by professional health care providers. The concept includes care of oneself or one's family and friends.

The capability to perform acceptably those duties directly related to patient care.

Persons living in the United States of Mexican (MEXICAN AMERICANS), Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central or South American, or other Spanish culture or origin. The concept does not include Brazilian Americans or Portuguese Americans.

Research carried out by nurses concerning techniques and methods to implement projects and to document information, including methods of interviewing patients, collecting data, and forming inferences. The concept includes exploration of methodological issues such as human subjectivity and human experience.

The reciprocal interaction of two or more persons.

The expected function of a member of the medical profession.

The privacy of information and its protection against unauthorized disclosure.

Assessment of psychological variables by the application of mathematical procedures.

A loose confederation of computer communication networks around the world. The networks that make up the Internet are connected through several backbone networks. The Internet grew out of the US Government ARPAnet project and was designed to facilitate information exchange.

Female parents, human or animal.

A system of traditional medicine which is based on the beliefs and practices of the African peoples. It includes treatment by medicinal plants and other materia medica as well as by the ministrations of diviners, medicine men, witch doctors, and sorcerers.

Individuals responsible for the development of policy and supervision of the execution of plans and functional operations.

A state of harmony between internal needs and external demands and the processes used in achieving this condition. (From APA Thesaurus of Psychological Index Terms, 8th ed)

The attitude and behavior associated with an individual using the computer.

A province of Canada lying between the provinces of Manitoba and Quebec. Its capital is Toronto. It takes its name from Lake Ontario which is said to represent the Iroquois oniatariio, beautiful lake. (From Webster's New Geographical Dictionary, 1988, p892 & Room, Brewer's Dictionary of Names, 1992, p391)

A republic in eastern Africa, south of SUDAN and west of KENYA. Its capital is Kampala.

The interaction of two or more persons or organizations directed toward a common goal which is mutually beneficial. An act or instance of working or acting together for a common purpose or benefit, i.e., joint action. (From Random House Dictionary Unabridged, 2d ed)

Brief accounts or narratives of an incident or event.

Includes the spectrum of human immunodeficiency virus infections that range from asymptomatic seropositivity, thru AIDS-related complex (ARC), to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).

The levels of excellence which characterize the health service or health care provided based on accepted standards of quality.

The inhabitants of a city or town, including metropolitan areas and suburban areas.

The teaching staff and members of the administrative staff having academic rank in an educational institution.

A preconceived judgment made without factual basis.

The practice of assisting women in childbirth.

The perceiving of attributes, characteristics, and behaviors of one's associates or social groups.

The concept concerned with all aspects of providing and distributing health services to a patient population.

Organizations and individuals cooperating together toward a common goal at the local or grassroots level.

Systems of medicine based on cultural beliefs and practices handed down from generation to generation. The concept includes mystical and magical rituals (SPIRITUAL THERAPIES); PHYTOTHERAPY; and other treatments which may not be explained by modern medicine.

Human females as cultural, psychological, sociological, political, and economic entities.

Statistical measures of utilization and other aspects of the provision of health care services including hospitalization and ambulatory care.

A republic in eastern Africa, south of UGANDA and north of MOZAMBIQUE. Its capital is Dar es Salaam. It was formed in 1964 by a merger of the countries of TANGANYIKA and ZANZIBAR.

The exertion of a strong influence or control over others in a variety of settings--administrative, social, academic, etc.

Social and economic factors that characterize the individual or group within the social structure.

Professionals qualified by graduation from an accredited school of nursing and by passage of a national licensing examination to practice nursing. They provide services to patients requiring assistance in recovering or maintaining their physical or mental health.

A republic in eastern Africa, south of ETHIOPIA, west of SOMALIA with TANZANIA to its south, and coastline on the Indian Ocean. Its capital is Nairobi.

Individuals whose ancestral origins are in the islands of the central and South Pacific, including Micronesia, Melanesia, Polynesia, and traditionally Australasia.

A generic concept reflecting concern with the modification and enhancement of life attributes, e.g., physical, political, moral and social environment; the overall condition of a human life.

The procedures through which a group approaches, attacks, and solves a common problem.

Health care provided on a continuing basis from the initial contact, following the patient through all phases of medical care.

Patterns of practice related to diagnosis and treatment as especially influenced by cost of the service requested and provided.

A state in southeastern Australia. Its capital is Sydney. It was discovered by Captain Cook in 1770 and first settled at Botany Bay by marines and convicts in 1788. It was named by Captain Cook who thought its coastline resembled that of South Wales. (From Webster's New Geographical Dictionary, 1988, p840 & Room, Brewer's Dictionary of Names, 1992, p377)

Group composed of associates of same species, approximately the same age, and usually of similar rank or social status.

The interactions between members of a community and representatives of the institutions within that community.

A course of study offered by an educational institution.

The smallest continent and an independent country, comprising six states and two territories. Its capital is Canberra.

Male-associated sex-specific social roles and behaviors unrelated to biologic function.

Abstract standards or empirical variables in social life which are believed to be important and/or desirable.

Comparison of various psychological, sociological, or cultural factors in order to assess the similarities or diversities occurring in two or more different cultures or societies.

Studies to determine the advantages or disadvantages, practicability, or capability of accomplishing a projected plan, study, or project.

A social group consisting of parents or parent substitutes and children.

The aggregate of social and cultural institutions, forms, patterns, and processes that influence the life of an individual or community.

The giving of advice and assistance to individuals with educational or personal problems.

The principles of proper conduct concerning the rights and duties of the professional, relations with patients or consumers and fellow practitioners, as well as actions of the professional and interpersonal relations with patient or consumer families. (From Stedman, 25th ed)

A republic in western Africa, south of BURKINA FASO and west of TOGO. Its capital is Accra.

Interaction between the patient and nurse.

Organized services to provide health care to adolescents, ages ranging from 13 through 18 years.

Design of patient care wherein institutional resources and personnel are organized around patients rather than around specialized departments. (From Hospitals 1993 Feb 5;67(3):14)

Care of patients by a multidisciplinary team usually organized under the leadership of a physician; each member of the team has specific responsibilities and the whole team contributes to the care of the patient.

A situation in which the level of living of an individual, family, or group is below the standard of the community. It is often related to a specific income level.

The educational process of instructing.

The circulation or wide dispersal of information.

The function of directing or controlling the actions or attitudes of an individual or group with more or less willing acquiescence of the followers.

Individual's expression of desirability or value of one course of action, outcome, or selection in contrast to others.

Organized periodic procedures performed on large groups of people for the purpose of detecting disease.

Human males as cultural, psychological, sociological, political, and economic entities.

A person's concept of self as being male and masculine or female and feminine, or ambivalent, based in part on physical characteristics, parental responses, and psychological and social pressures. It is the internal experience of gender role.

Any negative tradition or behavior that is generally regarded as harmful to social welfare and forbidden within a cultural or social group.

A republic in southern Africa, the southernmost part of Africa. It has three capitals: Pretoria (administrative), Cape Town (legislative), and Bloemfontein (judicial). Officially the Republic of South Africa since 1960, it was called the Union of South Africa 1910-1960.

It is the study of social phenomena which characterize the learned, shared, and transmitted social activities of particular ethnic groups with focus on the causes, consequences, and complexities of human social and cultural variability.

A set of beliefs concerning the nature, cause, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency. It usually involves devotional and ritual observances and often a moral code for the conduct of human affairs. (Random House Collegiate Dictionary, rev. ed.)

The largest country in North America, comprising 10 provinces and three territories. Its capital is Ottawa.

Individuals enrolled in a school of medicine or a formal educational program in medicine.

The capability to perform the duties of one's profession generally, or to perform a particular professional task, with skill of an acceptable quality.

People who leave their place of residence in one country and settle in a different country.

Research that involves the application of the natural sciences, especially biology and physiology, to medicine.

Health services, public or private, in urban areas. The services include the promotion of health and the delivery of health care.

The status during which female mammals carry their developing young (EMBRYOS or FETUSES) in utero before birth, beginning from FERTILIZATION to BIRTH.

Those actions designed to carry out recommendations pertaining to health plans or programs.

An evaluation procedure that focuses on how care is delivered, based on the premise that there are standards of performance for activities undertaken in delivering patient care, in which the specific actions taken, events occurring, and human interactions are compared with accepted standards.

The status of health in rural populations.

The use of community resources, individual case work, or group work to promote the adaptive capacities of individuals in relation to their social and economic environments. It includes social service agencies.

Persons having a sense of persistent identification with, and expression of, gender-coded behaviors not typically associated with one's anatomical sex at birth, and with or without a desire to undergo SEX REASSIGNMENT PROCEDURES.

Voluntary authorization, by a patient or research subject, with full comprehension of the risks involved, for diagnostic or investigative procedures, and for medical and surgical treatment.

Field of psychology concerned with the normal and abnormal behavior of adolescents. It includes mental processes as well as observable responses.

Country located in EUROPE. It is bordered by the NORTH SEA, BELGIUM, and GERMANY. Constituent areas are Aruba, Curacao, Sint Maarten, formerly included in the NETHERLANDS ANTILLES.

Organized services to provide health care to expectant and nursing mothers.

Instructional materials used in teaching.

Providers of initial care for patients. These PHYSICIANS refer patients when appropriate for secondary or specialist care.

The statistical reproducibility of measurements (often in a clinical context), including the testing of instrumentation or techniques to obtain reproducible results. The concept includes reproducibility of physiological measurements, which may be used to develop rules to assess probability or prognosis, or response to a stimulus; reproducibility of occurrence of a condition; and reproducibility of experimental results.

Sexual activities of humans.

The concept covering the physical and mental conditions of women.

Freedom from exposure to danger and protection from the occurrence or risk of injury or loss. It suggests optimal precautions in the workplace, on the street, in the home, etc., and includes personal safety as well as the safety of property.

The interactions between the professional person and the family.

A plan for collecting and utilizing data so that desired information can be obtained with sufficient precision or so that an hypothesis can be tested properly.

Printed publications usually having a format with no binding and no cover and having fewer than some set number of pages. They are often devoted to a single subject.

An approach of practicing medicine with the goal to improve and evaluate patient care. It requires the judicious integration of best research evidence with the patient's values to make decisions about medical care. This method is to help physicians make proper diagnosis, devise best testing plan, choose best treatment and methods of disease prevention, as well as develop guidelines for large groups of patients with the same disease. (from JAMA 296 (9), 2006)

Descriptions and evaluations of specific health care organizations.

Health care workers specially trained and licensed to assist and support the work of health professionals. Often used synonymously with paramedical personnel, the term generally refers to all health care workers who perform tasks which must otherwise be performed by a physician or other health professional.

Conformity in fulfilling or following official, recognized, or institutional requirements, guidelines, recommendations, protocols, pathways, or other standards.

Education which increases the knowledge of the functional, structural, and behavioral aspects of human reproduction.

Prejudice or discrimination based on gender or behavior or attitudes that foster stereotyped social roles based on gender.

Cognitive mechanism based on expectations or beliefs about one's ability to perform actions necessary to produce a given effect. It is also a theoretical component of behavior change in various therapeutic treatments. (APA, Thesaurus of Psychological Index Terms, 1994)