Investigating Online Drug Buying Knowledge and Attitudes"

U .S. Food and Drug Administration

Moderator’s Guide

Date and Time:

Location:

Script

A. Intro [10 minutes for Intro through Disclosures]	Good Afternoon. My name is XXX and I’m the moderator for today’s 60 minute group discussion. This is my colleague XX, who will be observing and taking notes for us today. I am very pleased you could join us today. Thank you for fitting this session into your schedule. Our purpose today is to talk about your understanding of, feelings toward, and experiences buying prescription drugs from online pharmacies. We are here on behalf of the Food and Drug Administration to help them develop a campaign to educate consumers on how to safely purchase drugs online.
B. Agenda	Today we will be conducting a group discussion. This is a free flowing discussion and there are no wrong answers. I’m looking for different points of view. We want to know your thoughts and attitudes, the reasons for the decisions you and only you have made.
Moderator Information:	We work for Booz Allen Hamilton, a government contractor based in McLean, Virginia in the Washington, DC area. We conduct research like this with a wide range of people on a variety of subjects.
DISCLOSURES:	The session is being recorded to make sure we capture everything you say. Likewise, as previously mentioned, XX will be taking notes as a backup. We are taping this session so we can accurately report your responses and opinions. We will not report who said what, but will focus exclusively on what was said. Hand out release forms. These forms state everything I’ve just told you, including that you will be recorded and that everything you say will remain confidential. By signing these you agree to participate in the focus group and to all the terms we have discussed. Please feel free to read over them before signing. Once you have signed, if you can return them to us, we would appreciate it. Give participants a moment to sign the release form.
E. Permissions/ Logistics	[Bathroom location]. I just ask that only one person be up or out of the room at a time.
F. Guidelines [10 minutes with Group Introductions]	And finally to make the best use of everyone’s time, there are just a few guidelines: Please talk one at a time – we want to accurately record and hear everyone’s responses. Please aim toward equal “air time” so that no one talks too much or too little. I might ask you to hold your thoughts if there are others who have not gotten the chance to speak. If I do cut you off please understand that I have so many questions and so little time. Please give us your honest opinions. We care about what you believe, whether or not anyone else agrees with you – there really is no wrong answer. Please note that any information shared here is confidential, and we therefore ask you not to discuss anything shared here outside this room.
Group Introductions (On flipchart)	Just so we can get to know each other a little better. Let’s start with some quick introductions. Let’s go around the table starting on my right. Please tell us your name and the types of things you typically buy online.
Issue A Warm-Up [5 minutes]	Ok so now that we’ve gotten to know each other a little bit…..let’s talk about online drug buying habits. Have you ever bought or considered buying from an online pharmacy? Please do not feel that you have to reveal any personal information that you would not feel comfortable telling us. How often do you buy medicines (or drugs) online? From where do you buy or would you consider buying? How did you/would you find an online pharmacy?
Issue B Motivation and Attitude [5 minutes]	*Why did/would you buy from an online pharmacy initially? *Why do you keep buying from an online pharmacy, assuming you still do? What makes you return? *What are some other good and bad things about buying from an online pharmacy? How important is cost in deciding whether or not to buy from a particular online pharmacy?
Issue C Types of Pharmacies Purchased From [10 minutes]	From which online pharmacies do you typically buy? *Have you ever bought from a non-chain pharmacy (such as cvs.com, Walgreens.com, etc.)? or *Would you ever consider buying from a non-chain pharmacy? Who have you bought from that is not a chain? Have you ever purchased from/ would you consider purchasing from an international pharmacy, such as a Canadian pharmacy? Do you feel international/Canadian pharmacies are safe?
Issue D Information on Online Pharmacies [5 minutes]	*Where do you look for information about online pharmacies? *Who would you trust to advise you on purchasing from online pharmacies? Have you ever seen any educational materials or spoken with a medical professional about online pharmacies? Are you familiar with the VIPPS program? What is it?
Issue E Concerns With Buying From Online Pharmacies [10 minutes]	Have you ever had any problems with an online pharmacy purchase? Have you ever been concerned about problems that might arise from buying from an online pharmacy? *What are those concerns? *What roused your concerns? *Have you ever not purchased from a website because of these concerns? Have you ever had any problems or concerns about the medicines you have purchased from an online pharmacy? *What were those problems or concerns? Have you ever had concerns about the security of your personal information when buying from an online pharmacy?
Issue F Fraudulent Online Pharmacies [5 minutes]	Are you aware that there are thousands of fraudulent online pharmacies? *What do you look for to ensure that a pharmacy is not fraudulent?
Issue G Wrap Up [5 minutes]	What additional information would you like to know about buying from online pharmacies? Do you have any questions for us?
Closing [1 min]	That concludes our questions. Thank you very much for your participation today. One of the outcomes of our work will be messages to consumers on how to safely purchase prescription drugs from online pharmacies, and your feedback will help tremendously as we develop those messages.