The following is the application of a practical example employing a

semi-structured interview

Research Question:

Masters of health students perceptions of the course:

Introduction to Health Administration

• A convenience sample will be utilized to enlist students who are currently enrolled in the following course at Laurentian University: Introduction to Health Administration
• A letter will be addressed to all students in the class describing the topic, purpose, confidentiality including the amount of time the interview will take
• The location and timing of the interview will be convenient for the interviewee

Why is this design employed?

• Semi-structured interviews will allow for a series of open-ended questions on students perceptions regarding the course (Introduction to Health Administration)
• The open-ended nature of the questions will assist in examining students perceptions surrounding the functionality of the course they are currently enrolled in
• This type of interviewing will allow the interviewee's to express their views in their own terms
• The interviewer will be able to use cues and prompts to encourage the interviewee if they encounter difficulty answering a question or if a brief response is provided
  • Prompt (is a prepared response to the respondent by the interviewer)
• The interviewer will also have the freedom to probe the interviewee to elaborate on the original response or to follow a line of inquiry introduced by the interviewee
  • Probe
    • Follow-up question used to elicit a more detailed response
    • Can be general and non direct
    • Can be more specific (ex: clarifying time of day)

• The interviewers will need to be trained
  • This includes becoming familiarized with techniques, reflective questioning, summarizing and how to control an interview
  • Need to ensure the interviewers ability to listen attentively and be aware of verbal and non verbal language
  • Interviewer must stick closely to any written instructions about filtering questions, what to read out etc.
• Identifying and reducing potential for bias
  • A systematic and thorough (non personal view point) will be maintained
  • Interviewer will be fully prepped on the topic, the purpose and the questions
    • Participants will be aware that individual identifiers will not be shared with course professor (as they may be reluctant to share information for fear of being penalized academically)
• Interviews will be conducted in a designated quiet and private board room on the Laurentian University Campus (or at another convenient location for the interviewee)

• A digital recorder will be used to record the session (with permission from the interviewee)
  • This allows the researcher greater freedom to observe the participant and avoid transcribing errors
• Interviewer will ensure functionality of recorder at start of interview and again at the end
• In semi-structured interviews, data must be recorded carefully
• If recording not permitted
  • Verbatim answers need to be written down as accurately as possible

The interviewer will avoid the following while questioning the students:

• Deviating from the written instructions will be avoided
  • ex: not following correct order of questions
• Avoid leading questions
• While interrogating, the interviewer will use consistent phrasing in order to avoid misinterpretations among some of the participants
• The interviewer will avoid interpretation errors by removing any personal subjection's
• The interviewer will avoid recording errors by utilizing a digital recorder for the sessions when permitted (and carefully transcribing if it is not)

Bias will be reduced by...

• Avoiding personal perspectives throughout the discussion
  • This can happen in the phrasing of questions, the use of prompts and selecting which responses to probe further
• Concentrating on what is being said and clarifying meanings
• Spend less time talking and more time actively listening
  • This reduces how much the interview becomes directed thereby reducing the likelihood of bias being introduced

The interview...

• Will take no longer than 20-30 minutes
• Interviewer will obtain informed consent and review matters of confidentiality
• Will start with demographic information
• Towards the end, the interviewer will signal that the interview is coming to an end
• They will use summarizing techniques to recap any main points
• The interviewee can correct anything that was misunderstood by the interviewer
• The interviewer will set aside time at the end to answers any possible questions

Semi-Structured Questions...

1. What is your age?
2. What is your sex?
3. What city do you reside in?
4. Are you a full time or part time student?
5. What program are you taking?
6. How did you find out about this course (Introduction to Health Administration)?
7. What are the strengths of the course?
8. What are the weaknesses of the course?
9. What do you find challenging about this course?
10. How has this course changed the way you live?
11. How do you use the new information in your everyday life?
12. What changes can be made to this course in order to enhance your learning experience?
13. Would you recommend this course to others?
14. Please explain your reasons for recommending this course or please explain your reasons for not.
15. Is there anything else you would like to add?
16. Do you have any questions?

Data collection on nurses' experience obtained through three focus groups

Data collection through the use of unstructured interviews

(a discussion for appropriate use with schizophrenia patients)

Data collection obtained through semi structured in-depth digitally recorded

and telephone interviews on electronic health record sharing

References

Cohen, D., & Crabtree, B. (2006, July). Qualitative research guidelines project. Interviewing. Retrieved from http://www.qualres.org/HomeInte-3595.html

Krupic, F., Sköldenberg, O., Samuelsson, K., & Eisler, T. (2016). Original article: Nurses' experience of patient care in multibed hospital rooms. Results from in-depth interviews with nurses after further education in anesthesia. Journal Of Perianesthesia Nursing, 1-9. doi:10.1016/j.jopan.2016.09.003

Mathers, N., Fox, N., & Hunn, A. (2002). Using interviews in a research project. Retrieved from https://www.bing.com/searchq=interview+example+for+research&form=EDGEAR&qs=PF&cvid=ed02b266dacc409e825824e188133d9e&cc=CA&setlang=enUS&elv=AXXfrEiqqD9r3GuelwApulqO767DbfKTA81DV1nWqSNClm5K4bvYMTZ0yZu3qS0DbqxgntGUvbCx%21ArlKi4MrY5nk%21ONphgyvEPNI47*%21e5F

McCann, T., & Clark, E. (2005). Using unstructured interviews with participants who have schizophrenia. Nurse Researcher, 13(1). 7-18.

Milne, H., Huby, G., Buckingham, S., Hayward, J., Sheikh, A., Cresswell, K., & Pinnock, H. (2016). Does sharing the electronic health record in the consultation enhance patient involvement? A mixed-methods study using multi channel video recording and in-depth interviews in primary care. Health Expectations, 19(3), 602-616. doi: 10.1111/hex.12320

Thomas, J. R., Nelson, J. K., & Silverman, S. J. (n.d.). Explore four methods for collecting qualitative research. Retrieved from: http://www.humankinetics.com/excerpts/excerpts/explore-four-methods-for-collecting-qualitative-research