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Heart-Healthy and Stroke-Free: A Social Environment HandbookThis document is also available in Portable Document Format (PDF - 925K). Learn more about PDFs. Chapter Seven: Practical Methods—Key Informant InterviewsKey informant interviews are inexpensive ways to collect current, qualitative data from carefully selected members of the target community. This resource affords researchers, either outside or within the community, an opportunity to gain firsthand views—or a “pulse”—of the community from residents. It is vital to note that, with some agencies or institutions, thorough prior review, approval, and permission are required, since human subjects are involved in this method. Find out what protocol your organization or its affiliates require. Getting StartedOne of the first steps in conducting key informant interviews is to decide what issues, information, or opinions are relevant or necessary for your needs. Once the topics of inquiry are selected, questions can be composed. This is not an easy process. Considerable input and many drafts may be necessary to finalize questions.Usually, open-ended questions work well for interviewing, allowing the interviewer to probe for further information in a colloquial manner. For example:
After writing a questionnaire draft, design a contact record, which the interviewer will use to document the interaction (see the table below). The contact record should include logistical information, such as interviewee name, times and dates of attempted contact, and results of the interaction. Next, you should develop a small package of mailing materials to be sent to possible contacts—including a letter explaining how and why the person was selected to be interviewed. The information should also provide general details about the purpose, scope, and desired outcomes of your project, contact information if the person has questions about some of the package, and information about when and how you would like to conduct the interview. After developing the questionnaire and other documents, you can concentrate on defining your sample population. When seeking opinions or information about the community, it is a good idea to select people who are socially active in the community, such as council members, directors of organizations, or community activists. Be sure your list includes more names than your desired number of completed interviews, to allow for lack of response.
Approval of Interview MaterialDepending on the size of your study, you may have to get institutional review board (IRB) approval. Larger studies usually require IRB approval for use of human subjects, especially if the information will be published in journals, used in conference presentations, or distributed to other public outlets. For a smaller study with results that will be kept “in house” (within the agency or department), IRB approval may not be required. Check with the director or supervisor to be certain. The Interview ProcessOnce all documents are ready, you can begin the interviews. Interviewers may want to keep in mind some key points:
After the interview, consider the following:
Probing Versus PromptingThe main difference between probing and prompting is that prompting injects the interviewer’s bias, but probing elicits information in an ambiguous manner, thus decreasing bias and increasing the chance of receiving a genuinely conceived answer. Probing effectively can produce a wealth of information that could be easily missed. Example of Prompting Interviewer: Are exercise classes offered at your
facility? Example of Probing: Interviewer: Are exercise classes offered at your
facility? When probing, the interviewer uses nonsuggestive questions to avoid introducing bias. Conversely, when prompting, an interviewer automatically offers some examples, as in the sample dialogue above, in which the interviewer named specific types of exercise class. Such prompts can bias the respondent’s answer, because the respondent may just default to the interviewer’s examples. There are many forms of probing during an interview: Echo Probe: Repeating the last thing an informant has said and asking him or her to continue. Example: “I see, so you went to work in Mexico City. Where else did you go?” Uh-huh Probe: Offer affirmative, yet neutral, utterances such as “right,” “uh-huh,” “I see,” “yes.” Example: “Right, and did you work anywhere else?” Long Question Probe: Obtain more descriptive responses by making the question longer. Example: Instead of “How do you plant a garden?” you might ask, “What are all of the things you would need to start a garden?” Phased Assertion: This is akin to “baiting,” where you reveal your knowledge about something to get the informant to comment. Example: “So I’ve learned that there is a new health clinic in Fort Dixon that provides care on Sundays …”. Probing methods should only be used as necessary, and with variation, because overuse can be irritating or appear condescending, thus jeopardizing rapport with the interviewee. Contact Worksheet for Key Informant Interviews
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Key Informant Name and Title | Affiliation and Phone | Contact Attempts | Interview Complete Data | Notes |
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Jane Smith, RN, Stroke Outreach Coordinator | Memorial Hospital 555-1234 |
9/9 - left msg 9/11 - left msg |
9/15 - met and talked for 30 minutes | Post-discharge stroke patient follow-up. Interview was recorded, and written notes are in project notebook. Ms. Smith suggested we interview Mary Jones at Hillside Nursing Home. |
Joe Brown, City Council Member |
City Office Building Main St 555-5678 |
9/20 - scheduled meeting | 9/27 - met and talked for 45 minutes. | Public smoking ban initiative. Interview was recorded. Mr. Brown gave us copy of latest Chamber of Commerce impact study. |
Dr. Raj Singh, Cardiologist |
Medical Arts Building 555-9876 |
10/3 - spoke with secretary 10/6 - left msg |
10/8 - phone interview for 15 minutes | Barriers to cardiac rehabilitation use for local Hispanic population. Schedule follow-up interview with Dr. Singh’s nurse, Ms. Maria Gomez. |
Date last reviewed:
07/09/2007
Content source: Division for Heart Disease and Stroke
Prevention,
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and
Health Promotion
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