hi Pallavi,

I propose that you do a focus group discussion (FGD) for such instances where employees are quite apprehensive to open their thoughts when the responses are being collected in the form of questionnaire.

I have pasted here a  sample of a structured interview that I conducted sometimes, the study full article 'Nurse Managers’ Perceptions towards the Roles They Play in a Resource- Limited Hospital Setting in Western Kenya. Journal of Biology, Agriculture and Healthcare.Vol.3, No.4, 2013. Its on my wall on RG if you might want to check it out, especially the rationale for my thinking its the better option in your case.

I hope this helps

Simon.

FGD GUIDE FOR NURSE MANAGERS

FGD Panel

Moderator/Note taker I

Assistant Moderator/Note taker II

Observer/ Non Verbal

1. Participant

2. Participant

3. Participant

4. Participant

5. Participant

6. Participant

7. Participant

8. Participant

Introduction

Hospitals in Kenya and indeed throughout the region are in the midst of significant and even dramatic changes including embracing the Quality Management Systems model. The impact of these changes on the role of the nurse manager is just beginning to be identified and research in this area is limited.

As hospitals' structures and functions evolve, so must the roles of their managers and providers. The nurse manager is key in both facilitating patient care and in ensuring the quality of work life of the nursing fraternity. This study is meant to help identify and document roles played by nurse managers and come up with proposals on their job descriptions in a teaching and referral hospital. This session is expected to give a clear direction on the perception of the managers on the existing issues to do with the current norms in appointment, advancement of the managers and what they feel should be the procedure.

Discussion Guidelines for the Moderator:

'We would like the discussion to be informal, so there’s no need to wait for us to call on you to respond. In fact, we encourage you to respond directly to the comments other people make. If you don’t understand a question, please let us know. We are here to ask questions, listen, and make sure everyone has a chance to share.

If we seem to be stuck on a topic, we may interrupt you and if you aren’t saying much, we may call on you directly. If we do this, please don’t feel bad about it; it’s just our way of making sure we obtain everyone’s perspective and opinion included.

We do ask that we all keep each other’s identities, participation and remarks private. We hope you’ll feel free to speak openly and honestly.

Restate the title of your study 'Nurse Managers’ Perceptions towards the Roles They Play in a Resource- Limited Hospital Setting in Western Kenya'

Question One:

What in your opinion makes a good/outstanding nurse? (Probe adequately)

Question Two:

Being a nurse manager is interesting. Is this true? (Probe adequately)

Question Three:

What special abilities does the Nurse Manager need to have?

What would you recommend as the Educational requirement of the N/M ?

Which other issues [such as gender] might be important in appointing the Nurse Manager? (Probe adequately)

Question Four:

What Benefits does the job as a Nurse Manager have to offer?

Question Five:

What challenges does the job Nurse Manager has to overcome on day to day basis?

Question Six:

What comment might you make on issues such as duplication of the role that N/M plays? How might this be this affect your work? (Probe adequately)

Question Seven:

What would you propose to make the Nurse Manager a more efficient administrator?

Question Eight:’

How would you summarize the Job of the Nurse Manager in terms of:

• Patient Care & Ward/Unit Management

• Educational Function of the Nurse Manager (Probe adequately)

Question Nine:

Which Other General functions in the N/M’s job that you may not have mentioned?

Question Ten:

How would you describe the General progression and advancement of the Nurse Manager? (Probe adequately)

The moderator may review the voice recording, clarify saturation lhas been reached and clarify any aspects with the participants if necessary .

Thank all participants for taking their time to share in this important activity.

As Prof. Simon Kamau suggested FDG will help you gather qualitative data which can lead you to a more descriptive analysis of data. There is a problem that your respondents may have reservations on opening up when in the company of colleagues. It may be better to  start with a more structured form of questionnaire using Yes/No responses and attitude scales, rating scales which helps you study their overall perception. To the end you may ask if they would like to participate in a FGD. This may be arranged as a mixed group of 6-10 employees from various retail organizations in informal settings. When they do not know each other they may be less apprehensive to open up.