January 28, 2009

Focus group participants needed for research on requesting prescriptions from physicians

Have you ever asked your physician for a prescription for a specific drug? How did your physician respond? Have you ever wanted to ask your physician for a prescription for a specific drug, but felt uncomfortable? What made you feel that way?

Carin Kosmoski, a health communication doctoral student in the Department of Communication, is working on a dissertation project titled "Breaking the Ice: A Conversation Starter Tool for Use in Discussions between Patient and Physician about Direct-to-Consumer Advertised Prescriptions." Kosmoski wants to hear about the experiences patients have when making prescription requests from a physician.

She will hold a focus group discussion on thoughts, opinions, and experiences regarding making prescription requests.

Focus groups will be held Tuesday, Wednesday, and/or Thursday evenings in early February. Separate focus groups will be held for females and males.

Participants must be 18 years or older.

The focus group will last approximately one hour.

Light refreshments will be provided during the focus group and participants will receive $15 cash upon completion.

Please contact Carin Kosmoski at ckosmosk@purdue.edu for more information and to schedule participation.

Principal Investigator is Marifran Mattson, Purdue University.