Discussion Card sorting is a method of organising contents which is often used in the realm of the internet [15]. The use of card games is a relatively old and well accepted concept in medicine for testing patients’ capacities, particularly in psychology, and in psychiatry [16] and used in medical training as a pedagogical tool [17,18]. More recently, card sorting appeared in the domain of palliative care as a tool for facilitating communication with the patient to approach end of life conditions [3]. Card sorting

allows the way in which users rank and group together contents which are presented Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical to them on cards to be observed, in particular in order to make website categories which relate to the mental representation of site users. Card sorting consists in presenting the user with a pack Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical of “cards” (up to fifty the size of a playing card so they may be “played”), which may be of different kinds (selleckchem formulated with headings, information categories, etc.); sorting may be carried out physically with a paper set or conceptually on computer, the cards being represented by words on the screen. Card sorting is carried out on a “user panel” of people who represent the target. The users may be seen

in groups or individually. In groups (4 to 10 people), Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical sorting has the advantage of being quicker to carry out and allowing more elaborate results to be obtained, since it takes advantage of the creative dynamic of the group by drawing each individual game to everyone’s attention. On the other hand, individual expression with the card game means the influence of certain dominant members of the group is limited. Card ranking is a statistical activity based on the frequency Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical with which concepts are associated with

each other. It allows associations to be found but does not, however, give information of a hierarchical nature in relation to the concepts ranked. In the field of care, Q methodology [19] combines qualitative and quantitative methods to identify attitudes, Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical perceptions, feelings and values and to explore life experiences such as stress, self-esteem, body image, etc. [20]. In our study, only the frequency and order of appearance of the cards have already been studied, and there is no complete analysis Sclareol of the contents of the discussions which followed. Card sorting seemed to us appropriate for our context, as it allows: – The expression of each participant to be facilitated regardless of his/her position within the group, even in the presence of a doctor or head of department. – A selection of numerous pieces of information which are often similar and interlinked to be made and ranked quickly. – Collegial discussion to be generated in reaction to the pieces of information put on the table, without judging the person bringing it up.