Method: interview (ENG)

The interview is a conversation in which questions are asked to obtain in-depth information on patients’ standpoints, for instance.

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Of interest to:

• patient organisations
• researchers
• municipalities
• policy-makers
• care institutions

Recommended for:

• help clarify patients’ standpoints in case of a limited group of respondents

An interview will take place in a structured manner using a discussion guideline or a number of keywords (topic list).

The interview will last anywhere from 15 minutes to one or two hours. A report of the interview will be made for the analyses. Unlike a questionnaire, an interview makes it possible to probe deeper.

Systematically determining the patients’ standpoint

An interview is well-suited to obtain in-depth information about the patients’ standpoint and to obtain a better understanding of people’s behaviour, opinions and motivations. This tool is appropriate for qualitative research.

Advantages

• Makes it possible to probe
• Tends to generate a lot of information
• Can be conducted face-to-face or by telephone
• Well-suited to discuss sensitive subject matters

Disadvantages

• Time-consuming for interviewer as well as interviewee
• Processing the qualitative research data is time-consuming
• Not suitable for research among large groups of patients/clients

Interviewer skills

Whether an interview is successful or not is closely related to the attitude and skills of the interviewer. A qualified interviewer:

• can put the interviewee at ease
• is good at listening, summarising and asking probing questions
• can distinguish major issues from minor issues
• can maintain a neutral stance
• is empathetic

Of further interest

• Go to method ‘Survey’