Beyond Virtualization: The Epistemological Reconfiguration of Focus Groups in Qualitative Health Research

The expansion of virtual focus groups (VFGs) in qualitative health research has often been treated as a technical adaptation of established procedures. In this conceptual analysis, we challenge that interpretation and argue that virtualization is not simply a change of medium, but a reconfiguration of the epistemological, methodological, and ethical conditions under which qualitative data are generated, rendered intelligible, and treated as valid. From the perspective of epistemological vigilance, digital mediation reorganizes interaction, co-presence, visibility, and temporality, while distributing opportunities for participation, expression, and agency unevenly. Although VFGs may extend geographical reach, enable more flexible participation, and facilitate discussion of sensitive topics, they may also reproduce exclusion, intensify pre-existing inequalities, and diminish the interpretive richness of research. We therefore propose moving beyond questions of technical feasibility to examine the specific conditions under which VFGs can generate rigorous knowledge. Their value lies not in their technological novelty or convenience, but in their integration into methodological decisions that are analytically justified, epistemologically coherent, and ethically defensible.