::[ E-Course of Health Planning ]::
 

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  Basics of health planning / Class 4. Qualitative research methods for planning

 

2. In-Depth Interviews

In-depth interviews involve asking open-ended questions, listening and recording answers, following up with additional relevant questions-probing beneath the surface, soliciting details and providing a holistic understanding of the interviewee's point of view.

Depending on the level of "structure" the interviews can be

a) informal (no structure or control, conversations should be remembered, used for uncovering new topics)
b) unstructured (more formal, yet no control or structure, allows people to express themselves in their own words)
c) semi-structured interviews (based on the guide including written list of topics and/or questions to be answered in a particular order, asking non direct questions)
d) structured interviews (quantitative approach, surveys)

In-depth interviews are used in planning

  • to obtain in-depth information on complex subject matters with knowledgeable informants
  • to explore knowledge, attitude, and practices of a target population, especially when dealing with sensitive topics
  • to investigate complex behavior and motivations

    Advantages:

  • quality richness of information is very high
  • interactive; can explore areas of interest in more depth through second interviews
  • can explore sensitive topics
  • better than focus groups (we will discuss them a little bit later) with geographically dispersed populations

    Disadvantages:

  • need highly skilled interviewers
  • take time
  • results aren't generalizable
  • interviewer has limited control over the environment where interview takes place
  • can generate a lot of extraneous information
  • the data obtained are not always accurate (strongly influenced by interviewee's views and thoughts)

    Other issues to consider:

  • interviewer behavior is crucial to the success of conducting interviews and analyzing the information; training of interviewers is extremely important when using this technique
  • data can be cumbersome and a plan to manage the data should be in place before the interviews begin

    Key-informant interview is a type of in-depth interview - it involves interviewing people (usually 6-8 persons) specialized in the field. Usually key-informant interviews provide valuable information of interest.

    Another type of in-depth interview is a focus group interview - a group interview process used to elicit detailed information about the experience, attitudes, beliefs, opinions. It is led by a skilled moderator with a small group of people (usually 6-8 persons) on a specific topic. The discussion is being recorded by a recorder/tape-recorder. Focus groups are conducted to get an insider perspective via group discussion, and to gather rich information that is stimulated by a group process. Semi-structured interview guides are usually used for focus group interviewing. Usually, debriefing takes place after focus groups, where a moderator, recorder and observers (if they were present) discuss the participant characteristics, their enthusiasm, consistency between participant comments and reported behaviors, their body language, and overall mood of the discussion. They also pay attention to changes in the questioning route that took place during the focus group session, some new themes/subtopics that arose during the discussion, and decide on new avenues of questioning to be used in future focus groups. The transcripts of the session including the debriefing notes are used in the analysis of the focus groups, and the preparation of the focus group summary/report.

    Focus groups are used in planning

  • to identify and define problems
  • to generate ideas about the project design
  • to evaluate materials for use in a project
  • to help in baseline surveys (question design, pre-testing, corroborate findings)
  • to learn about the degree of consensus on a specific topic

    Advantages:

  • low cost (potentially)
  • group interactions can stimulate rich responses and illuminate conflicting opinions

    Disadvantages:

  • cannot ensure confidentiality (ethical concerns)
  • logistics of assembling a group is more complicated
  • skilled moderator is needed
  • number of questions that can be asked are limited

    Other issues to be considered:

  • the primary intention of a focus group is to collect information, not resolve the conflicts, build consensus, increase communication, change attitudes, make decisions
  • focus groups should not be used when statistical data is required

    When we have an understanding of how to collect the information necessary for a situational analysis, we can move to the next step of the generic health planning model - priority, goals, objectives setting, and strategy appraisal.

     

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