Val Goodwin and Brenda Happell demonstrate how to use a tracking sheet to identity individual responses from focus group research

Focus groups are a popular component of nursing research. While they have their advantages, a number of disadvantages are apparent, such as the difficulty involved in capturing individual responses. The use of a tracking sheet would allow the researcher to identify individual responses, and thus produce separate transcripts for each participant, which can be forwarded for verification or discussion. The advantage of this approach is that the researcher is able to obtain an account from individuals in addition to the group account.