Qualitative analysis of parents’ experience of hearing loss of their school going children of a rural area of Nagpur

Abstract

• Introduction: Qualitative research methods provide a means of collecting and interpreting narrative or observational data about such interactions, leading to a deeper understanding of the process of health care delivery. This approach was used to clarify key themes from parents’ comments about challenges on paths to detect hearing impairment.
• Materials and Methods: An exploratory descriptive qualitative research design is used. In-depth interviews by using a semi-structured questionnaire and focus group discussions (FGD) were held with parents, and other study groups. A study was conducted in Deaf Dum Rural School, Saoner, Nagpur district, Maharashtra, India. Purposive voluntary sampling is utilized. Semi-structured and in-depth interviews and FGD were conducted in private rooms. A FGD guide covered open-ended comments to the set of questions.
• Results: Parents of 65 children (59%) replied to the questionnaire. Out of them, 55 (85.6%) were the parents of school children resides in the hostel. The majority of the children have profound hearing impairment (75.86%). Theme analysis revealed perceptions about causes, ways, and means of early detection, and powerful emotions experienced by parents at FGD.
• Conclusions: Reaching beyond numerical analyses, qualitative studies allow for expression of junior doctors, Deaf and Dump School teacher and parents’ thoughts, feelings, and experiences. This study provides a means of collecting and interpreting narrative or observational data.
• Key words: Focus group discussion, hearing impairment, qualitative analysis