Table 1.
The methods and process of implementing the study
| Rounds | Aim | Participants | Procedure | Questionnaire | Data analyses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First round | Identifying new solutions to overcome barriers to the active participation of health volunteers | • WHVs program researchers • Health volunteers’ supervisors |
• Potential participants were communicated by phone/email and asked to participate in the project • Questionnaires were sent via email • Two reminders were sent on 14 and 28 days after the initial distribution through telephone contact |
• Consisted of 10 questions about barriers to the active participation of health volunteers • The questions were formulated exploratory (open end) and based on perceived barriers • Provided a space for additional comments |
Opinion was analyzed using conventional content analysis technique |
| Second round | Determining the achievement of consensus around strategies derived from the first round | • All participants of the first round • Other WHV program experts (identified by snowball sampling) |
• Invitees received questionnaires via email • Two reminders were sent on 14 and 28 days after the initial distribution through telephone contact |
• The questionnaire included 133 strategies obtained from the first round • Using a seven- point Likert scale, participants were requested to rank the feasibility of each item |
• Feasible strategies were defined from the statements as possessing a median score of 6 and above • The degreeof consensus was defined by calculation of IQR • SPSS software was used to analyze the finding |
| Third round | Reaching a consensus on strategies that had not previously reached a consensus | All participants in the second round were invited to complete the questionnaire | • Questionnaires were sent by email • Two reminder emails were sent to nonresponders within 4 weeks |
• Questionnaire (similar to the second round) was designed on a seven-point Likert scale • The median and IQR derived from the second round of each item was presented |
Like the second round |
Abbreviations: WHV, women health volunteer; IQR, interquartile range.