Bridging the gap between interviewer and interviewee: developing an interview guide for individual interviews by means of a focus group

In developing an interview guide, pre-existing knowledge about the research topic is essential. In a recent study, we were interested in exploring the experiences of weight changes among women treated for breast cancer using individual interviews. However, to develop an interview guide for the individual interviews that covered relevant thematic and dynamic dimensions, we found existing literature insufficient. Thus, we turned our attention to the benefit of the focus group method.

This study aims to discuss how a focus group prior to individual interviews may contribute in developing the thematic dimension and translating the dynamic dimension of an interview guide into everyday language.

We conducted one focus group interview of five women treated for breast cancer with experiences in weight changes. Data were analysed using content and conversation analysis and discussed with relevant literature on interview guide development.

The study is approved by the Danish Data Protection Agency (2008-58-0028) and follows the ethical guidelines for qualitative research.

Data generation and analysis resulted in themes for the thematic dimension, as well as three dynamic areas to consider in the individual interviews to bridge the gap between the interviewer and the interviewee. The dynamic areas are as follows: The use of words, images and metaphors - a shield and self-protection, Multiple meanings to explore and Staying close to the everyday language.

The analysis made us more familiar with the content and meaning of weight changes among breast cancer survivors. Furthermore, it provided images and metaphors, multiple meanings and a sense of the women's everyday language that calls for an open interview frame to be used in subsequent individual interviews.