Methodological and ethical issues related to qualitative telephone interviews on sensitive topics

Area of Science:

• Nursing Research
• Qualitative Methodology
• Trauma Studies

Background:

• Critical care nurses face high risks of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) due to work-related stress.
• Face-to-face interviews are common, but telephone interviews are effective for sensitive topics like PTSD.
• Telephone interviews can reduce distress by allowing participants to be in a comfortable environment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the methodological and ethical challenges of conducting qualitative telephone interviews.
• To examine the experiences of interviewing critical care nurses about trauma via telephone.
• To inform interventions for trauma adaptation in intensive care unit settings.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative research interviews were conducted with 27 critical care nurses.
• Participants included nurses diagnosed with PTSD and those with high resilience.
• This paper is a methodology paper detailing the authors' interview experiences.

Main Results:

• Establishing rapport and using non-verbal communication were crucial for building trust and compassion.
• Key ethical issues involved protecting participant privacy and confidentiality.
• Minimizing psychological harm to both researchers and participants was essential.

Conclusions:

• Qualitative telephone interviews are a valuable method for gathering information on sensitive subjects.
• This approach can help inform interventions promoting healthy adaptation after trauma exposure.
• The study highlights the importance of rapport and ethical considerations in telephone trauma research.